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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593783">Interstellar Methods of Love and Murder</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordscavenger/pseuds/wordscavenger'>wordscavenger</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure &amp; Romance, Alternate Universe - Space, Connor &amp; Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Eventual Romance, FatherBrownAU, Human Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Human Upgraded Connor | RK900, M/M, Murder Mystery, Pilot!Nines, Priest!Connor, SecurityOfficer!Gavin, Slow Burn, reed900RBB, reed900reversebigbang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:54:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>47,236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordscavenger/pseuds/wordscavenger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Aboard the Central Munitions Space Station, kind and mild-mannered Father Connor Stern spends his days tending to the needs of the inhabitants who live and work within the weapons facility, and his nights solving mysteries with the help of his stoic and sarcastic brother, Nines, formerly of the Galactic Air Force and occasional gentleman rogue.</p><p>During a business trip to the space station, billionaire and technical guru Elijah Kaminski and his entourage are promptly murdered in an unusual manner. Through a series of events involving a giant robot, a deadly assassin, and a secret society fighting for the worker's rights, Connor and Nines soon find themselves teamed up with the station's Head of Security, First Lieutenant-Commander Gavin Reed, who is ardently against the two brothers being involved in the case in any way.</p><p>Though Gavin knows he needs to focus on solving Kaminski's murder, he is instead distracted by his irritating and complicated feelings for the younger Stern brother, a mystery himself that Gavin cannot decide if he wants to jettison his insufferable ass out of an airlock, or kiss him senseless and never let go.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Reed900 Reverse Big Bang</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/beili/gifts">beili</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my entry for the Reed900 Reverse Big Bang collection! The story is based on a prompt from the very talented artist <a href="https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/beili/pseuds/beili">Beili</a>, who will also be posting lovely and fantastic art that will accompany this story as it updates. You can find her art at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a></p><p>My admiration, appreciation and excitement for Beili and her art is boundless, and I also could not have asked for a better partner for my very first Big Bang experience! And everyone involved in putting this Reed900RBB together did a great job! They were fantastic and so helpful!</p><p>The schedule for future chapter postings are listed a the end of the story.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>“Sectors 7, 8 and 9 are confirmed as secure on level 42, sir.” </p><p>Gavin looked up from the holograph displaying the layout of sector 22 emanating from his communicator cuff wrapped around his right wrist. He regarded the man striding up to him, patiently waiting for him to finish his walk from the other end of the corridor. Private Deckhart was thin, pale, light-haired and slightly awkward, but from what Gavin knew during their short time working together, he was decent enough at his job. They were dressed in similar light-fit black leather and blaster-proof tactical uniforms, but Gavin wore a First Lieutenant-Commander’s insignia on his right shoulder indicating his superior rank.</p><p>At nearly midnight, the long walkway that bridged the Central Munitions Station’s weapons manufacturing facility and the housing colony, Jericho, was being used only by Gavin’s security force running their nightly rounds, while the rest of the workers, families and personnel had returned to Jericho as soon as curfew began hours ago. When he had first begun crossing the bridge after departing a late meeting with Commander Chen, the head of security at Jericho, he wasn’t surprised to find one of his men on his way to give him a status update on their progress of assessing both facilities' new security system. </p><p>Central Munitions Station was a high-end weapons manufacturing facility known for making ammo and artillery used for supplying the demand of various military factions for their planet-side battles and exploratory ventures. The exterior layout displayed a large circular space station dotted with lights and docking stations for shipping and receiving materials and supplies. On the far opposite end of the bridge resided Jericho, another circular space station that housed thousands of Central’s workers and their families. Despite its similarity to Central’s architecture, Jericho was a fortress with a habitat suited for humans to exist in a shared living space. Homes, schools, businesses and all that make up a thriving community resided inside Jericho’s walls.   </p><p>After curfew was Gavin’s favorite part of the day, when the rapid bustling of the entire station’s inhabitants and the incessant demands of his position as head officer of Central’s security force could decelerate, and the quiet calm of a bustling community could finally rest, leaving Gavin to finish his work in peace. </p><p>Surrounding them from every side, the sturdy walkway created a partition between the two men and the inky darkness of space that was broken up only by pinpricks of light originated by untouchable stars and barely visible galaxies. Absolute silence cocooned them, and the view of the two imposing stations flanked them from both sides.</p><p>From where Gavin stood, blanketed by stars and darkness, he nodded in response to Deckhart’s message, pleased with the news, and checked his status report to be sure the officer had uploaded that confirmation into his report. “Fine. Continue your sweep up till level 50. When you’re finished wrap up and hand over your report to the graveyard crew. You can consider yourself relieved after that.”</p><p>“Sir,” Deckhart nodded and saluted him. </p><p>Gavin expected the officer to quickly resume his duties. He, like everyone else, was expected to be at their stations at 0600 that morning, so the quicker he was done, the faster he could retire. However, Gavin was surprised when the man instead hesitated, and remained where he stood.</p><p>“Problem?” Gavin asked, himself eager to move on with his own tasks. He was expected at 0600 as well.</p><p>Folding his hands behind his back, Deckhart seemed to weigh his response before he said, “I thought you would want to know, sir, that when I was finishing up in Sector 9, I thought I heard some...noises.”</p><p>Gavin frowned. “You just told me that the sector was secure. And now you’re telling me that it’s not?” He didn’t bother to try to keep the annoyance out of his voice.</p><p>“And it is!” Deckhart exclaimed, his voice pitching high as his nose and cheeks dotted with a red flush. “I checked everywhere and I didn’t see anything or anyone. I just wanted to let you know, in case you wanted to double check that sector.” Deckhart let out a breath when he was finished speaking, then quickly added, “Sir.”</p><p>Gavin regarded the man. “Fine. I’ll make note that next time you are on patrols to assign you a partner since you apparently need someone else to look over your work.”</p><p>The flush on Deckhart’s cheeks spread down to his neck and up to his ears. “Sir-”</p><p>His superior held up a hand, stopping him. “Another patrol-man means double the load. Send your report to the night crew now and relieve your station. Report at 0600 for your double-shift. Maybe by hour twelve you’ll know how to properly secure a sector without someone holding your hand. You are dismissed.”</p><p>Not waiting to deal with the indignant reply Deckhart’s lips were forming, Gavin sidestepped him and continued the path towards Central Station. As the clear-viewed bridge gave way to a brightly lit, rounded white corridor, Gavin stopped a few feet inside when he reached the internal transports. He pressed his palm to the lock beside the doors to activate the transport, and once inside, instead of instructing the car to take him to level 47, where his office was, he went to clean up his officer’s mess.</p>
<hr/><p>“You have exactly five more minutes, and then I’m coming in to get you. You’re so damn slow.”</p><p>“Don’t be ridiculous. You’d never fit in here with those massive shoulders.”</p><p>Annoyed that his brother was right, Nines rolled his sizable shoulders and snapped, “Fine. Three more minutes or I’m leaving you in there to find your own way out.”</p><p>A loud bang echoed through the empty corridor, and Nines hissed, “Damnit Connor! Want to announce to the whole facility what you’re up to?”</p><p>“Apologies,” his brother said, his voice sounding half-amused. “I thought I saw something.”</p><p>“You thought you saw something?” Nines gently touched the small communicator nestled behind his ear. “What the hell would be in an air duct besides dust?” He looked up at the grate above his head that had served as the entrance for Connor’s venture into the facility’s ventilation shaft. Nines was stationed below as a look-out after finishing his occupation as a human ladder.</p><p>“My own shadow apparently,” Connor replied. “Please remind me never to do this again.” </p><p>“I did remind you,” Nines wryly answered. “Last month when you used these vents to sneak into the Captain’s office. Or did you conveniently forget?”</p><p>Connor grunted, and Nines could hear more shuffling as his brother continued to make his way back to him. </p><p>“Not at all.” Connor said. “And I didn’t <em>sneak </em>into the Captain’s office. You make it sound so untoward, Nines. I needed to speak with him, and he wasn’t answering his door. I had feared something terrible had befallen him so, being the good Samaritan that I am, I rushed to his rescue.”</p><p>“You’re not a Samaritan. And the fact that it was lunchtime and the Captain always returns to his unit to eat with his wife never crossed your mind?” Nines looked up and down the corridor once more, his focus now more alert to their surroundings. He thought he had heard a transport door open, but he wasn’t sure. Who the hell would be around at this time of night?</p><p>“Anything is possible,” Connor lectured, unaware that Nines was barely listening to him now. “You know as the great philosopher Socrates once said-”</p><p>“Shut up,” Nines snapped in a harsh whisper and tilted his head. </p><p>Footsteps.</p><p>“Shit,” he whispered. He stepped away from the vent and opened up his communicator cuff to display a holographic map of the facility, a small blinking red dot indicating his location. He then shoved his other hand into his pocket and adopted a casual stride that matched his now relaxed frame and nonchalant demeanor. Slowly, he walked around the bend of the corridor where the grate was no longer in view, and feigned surprise when he saw a figure in the distance heading towards him.</p><p>“Excuse me.” Nines called out casually. “I seem to have gotten myself turned around and I-” his words faltered when the figure came into the light, revealing his identity. Years of military training was all that kept Nines from visibly tensing in annoyance when he realized who the man was.</p><p>“Commander Reed,” Nines exclaimed, keeping his voice the same octave of casual innocence he had been using before. “What a pleasant surprise to run into you this evening.” He ran his eyes up and down Gavin’s solid form, focusing on his dark tactical uniform, and assumed he was on patrol. His hands were gloved, fingerless, and his boots a solid black against the stark whiteness of the floor. Despite Gavin’s inconvenient appearance, Nines could appreciate how damn good he looked in the getup.</p><p>“Mr. Stern,” Gavin gritted out as he stepped up to the man. He also assessed Nines, taking in his tall, broad frame and typical attire of a black turtleneck, matching pressed slacks, and shoes that Gavin was sure were made of real leather. He ignored how well the clothes hugged Nines’ solid body, the shape of his muscles vaguely outlined under the fabric. The stoic man was still as unreadable as ever, despite his attempt to appear unassuming and relaxed.</p><p>Gavin did not even try to keep his own displeasure at seeing Nines hidden as he spoke. “You realize you’re breaking curfew by being out this late in an unauthorized sector?” </p><p>“Am I?” Nines innocently regarded his wrist and the map it displayed. “I’m still so new to this facility that it’s difficult at times to keep up with all the rules and where I can go or not go-”</p><p>“You can go back to wherever the hell you came from if reading an ‘authorized personnel only’ sign is too much for you to handle.” Gavin snapped, not believing a word of what Nines was saying. “And if following maps is also too hard for you, the children’s sector in Jericho has some beginner level classes. I’m sure a man with your mediocre intelligence level would fit right in.” </p><p>Nines barely held back a smirk to contain his growing amusement at knowing that he was getting on Gavin’s nerves. Pushing the man’s buttons was one of Nines’ most favorite pastimes since coming to work at Central as a weapons specialist. The only time setting Gavin off became trouble was when he was getting too close to catching Connor in the middle of his secular hobby, a pastime the security officer had a serious negative viewpoint on, and the power to actually do something about it.</p><p>“As enjoyable as spending time with the children sounds, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass,” Nines said smoothly, Gavin’s insult scarcely affecting him. He turned off his holograph. “May I ask what brings you out to this sector at this hour?”</p><p>“No. But I seriously suggest you tell me why you’re here.” Gavin snapped, his patience growing severely thin. “We can do that here, or back at my office where we can submit an official noncompliance report if you refuse to answer.”</p><p>A sly smirk lit up the amusement flickering in Nines’ eyes. “You want to go back to your office? Where we can be alone?” His smile grew a bit wider as his voice deepened. “Didn’t we run through that scenario already?”</p><p>Gavin’s own years of military training were all that kept him from being unable to ignore the tightening in his stomach when Nines’ voice transformed from casual calm to a more seductive meaning. Instead, he kept his face blank and his voice steady as he replied. “Yes. And you no doubt remember my answer from that scenario. Spoiler alert, it hasn’t changed.”  </p><p>Nines did remember Gavin’s answer, and the stinging memory of him being the only person to ever refuse his advances, despite them being less than honorable ones. He had used a seductive ploy as a ruse to gain access to Gavin’s office so he could gather information for his brother. Nines’ icy blue eyes searched Gavin’s hazel ones for any instance of emotion or regret at the reminder of their very first encounter, but all Nines saw was Gavin emitting a steady indifference towards him.</p><p>“Well,” Nines straightened, his voice evening out again despite the unexpected uneasiness he suddenly felt. “Someone else had a different answer, which led me to my rendezvous this night. I’m afraid I was so...preoccupied that I completely forgot about your arcane curfew rules. Hence my late night wanderings.”</p><p>Quirking an eyebrow, Gavin folded his arms. “You were out here for a hookup?”</p><p>“Yes, why else?” Nines answered along with a nonchalant shrug.</p><p>“In the sanitation sector?” Gavin continued, his skepticism apparent.</p><p>Nines clenched his jaw shut and mentally swore at his brother. The things he did for that man. He was saved from pushing forward with his lie when the sound of a loud bang echoed behind them, followed by a solid thud against the hard floor.  </p><p>Gavin tensed and placed his hand on the handle of his blaster. He went to step around Nines, quickly asking, “What the hell was that?”</p><p>“Probably rats,” Nines answered and smoothly stepped in front of Gavin, stopping him from moving forward. “It is the sanitation floor. Vile things come in from planet-side transits all the time. I’m sure they’ve probably made their way into the vents and are all causing all sorts of problems.”</p><p>Gavin looked up at Nines, obviously not believing him. He smirked, then stepped back. In one swift movement he unholstered his blaster hanging by his hip and pulled it out, the barrel pointed to the ceiling and his finger resting on the hook outside the trigger. “Rats huh? That sounded like a big one. Maybe I should just start shooting into the vents? See if I can take any of them out?”</p><p>Before Gavin had finished speaking Nines suddenly had him roughly pinned against the wall, his hand holding the blaster trapped between Nines’ chest and his back. Gavin could feel the rough metal digging into his skin as Nines gripped his arm tight, using his opposite arm to pin the back of Gavin’s neck to hold him steady against the cool white surface.</p><p>The whiplash change in their positions left Gavin stunned, sucking in a harsh breath of air and his mind clanging with shock at Nines suddenly being so close. His mouth opened to begin a torrent of swears and angry grunts, but nothing came out. </p><p>Despite the aggressive stance, somehow Gavin knew that Nines wasn’t trying to hurt him. A lifetime of experience had taught him to know when a man who laid hands on him intended him harm. This was not it. </p><p>Instead of anger, something in Gavin’s mind took hold and all he could focus on was the feeling of Nines’ body against his back, a solid weight of warmth that elicited a shiver of excitement and trepidation his body didn’t know how to handle. Nines’ scent, an intoxicating mix of spice and blaster cleaning solution, something Gavin had never been close enough to notice before, swirled around him like a heavy, tantalizing mist.</p><p>“Commander Reed! What a surprise!”     </p><p>Gavin’s eyes rose and then crash-landed on a near spitting image of the man who was currently plastered against his back. Though they shared much of the same facial features, both men’s hair and attire were all that physically differentiated them. Their personalities also existed on far different spectrums; Connor’s jubilant and positive disposition starkly contrasted Nines’ sarcastic and stoic nature. Gavin wasn’t sure yet which man annoyed him more.</p><p>“I see you’ve found my wayward brother.” Connor continued, stepping towards the two men. He had a smile on his face as he placed his hands on his hips. “I’ve been wondering where he had wandered off to this evening.” Connor nodded towards the taller man behind him, and then tilted his head before smirking, amused at what he had walked in on. “Have I missed something?”</p><p>Nines quickly stepped away, releasing Gavin with the same rapid and easy finesse he had so carefully used to pin Gavin that he wasn’t even sure for a moment that he was no longer being held. </p><p>Ignoring Gavin’s glare, Nines instead focused on looking over his brother, inspecting every inch he could see to be sure he wasn’t injured from his journey into the vents and whatever loud noise they had heard earlier, presumably him falling out of the grate since Nines wasn’t there to help him get back down. </p><p>“A simple misunderstanding,” Nines simply explained when he was satisfied Connor seemed fine. He smoothed down the front of his turtleneck and put on a carefree smile, as if he hadn’t just assaulted one of the most senior officers of the entire space-station.</p><p>After he roughly holstered his blaster, Gavin scoffed at Nines and, unable to hold back any longer, harshly said, “How about I misunderstand your ass down to the brig for pulling that shit you-”</p><p>Connor stepped up quickly between the two men, and turned to Gavin, cutting him off. “Commander, since we’ve been so fortunate to run into each other, I’d like to request a moment of your time, please?”</p><p>Gavin just glared at him, gritting his teeth and saying nothing.</p><p>Connor opened up his vest and reached inside. When he pulled his hand out again, it was holding three small vials full of a clear liquid, none any bigger than the length of his palm.</p><p>“I’ve got a feeling that aint holy water,” Gavin muttered, looking down at the objects. </p><p>Connor nodded. “I understand you are terribly busy tonight securing the facility because of the special visitors the station is receiving tomorrow-”      </p><p>Gavin’s eyes widened and he snapped, “How the hell do you know about that?”</p><p>Instead of answering, Connor just continued. “But before you move onto that, I would like to assist you in wrapping up this particular thorn in your side so you may better focus on tomorrow’s events.” </p><p>He paused and waited until Gavin sighed and nodded. “Fine. Explain.” He crossed his arms, waiting. </p><p>Eagerly, Connor continued. “As you are aware, an unfortunate new substance has been making its way into the hands of our younger Jericho inhabitants. These,” he pointed to the vials in his hand, “are product intended for sale procured from the office of your main suspect, Todd Williams, the head of Central’s sanitation sector.”</p><p>Gavin looked at the vials, then back up at Connor. He ran an aggravated hand through his hair. “And you got these how?”</p><p>“A good Samaritan was kind enough to procure these as evidence,” Connor said smoothly, ignoring his brother rolling his eyes to the ceiling. </p><p>“What is important, however, is now you’ll have a sample to run an analysis on. One of your discoveries, I am certain, is a chemical compound you’ll often find in the particular cleaner Mr. Williams uses.”</p><p>“You think he laces the drug with some chemicals he uses for cleaning?”<br/>
<br/>
“I think it’s a distinct possibility, given the drugs’ unfortunate side effects being similar to consuming the cleaning product directly. It has the effect of creating a much stronger high than your average substance, before the inevitable life-threatening crash. These vials can finally tie him to the trade.” </p><p>Despite himself, Gavin felt a flicker of excitement. He had always suspected Todd Williams, but none of his efforts had procured any solid evidence to prove his suspicions. Now, Connor was handing him the key to finally putting this thing to bed. </p><p>It wasn't the first time Connor had a clue or an off-hand remark that had helped solve a case he had somehow wormed his way into. Sometimes he would have a name, or would even show up at Gavin’s office with the culprit guilt-ridden and ready to confess. Yet, Connor never wanted credit or acknowledgement. He just wanted to be involved and to help the people of Jericho. His selfless dedication both fascinated and annoyed Gavin. </p><p>And just like those other times Connor practically gift-wrapped the evidence Gavin could use to close a case, as soon as the thrill flickered to life, it was promptly snuffed out by the old familiar annoyance that followed whenever he and Connor interacted. </p><p>Unable to hold back, Gavin yelled, “Damnit, Father! What the hell are you thinking? What have I told you a million times about getting involved in this kind of stuff?”</p><p>“Is your tone really necessary, Commander?” Nines spoke up, breaking the silence he had held when Gavin and Connor conversed. “I would think you’d be grateful for the assistance in apprehending a dangerous man putting drugs into the hands of children.” He folded his hands behind his back, and raised an eyebrow expectantly </p><p>But Gavin didn’t take the bait. “Key word on dangerous, Nines.” Gavin instead snapped. He grabbed the vials from Connor and then pointed at him. “You are not a soldier, or a security officer. If Williams knew you were sniffing around, getting your hands on his product, you think he’s just going to let you walk away with it?” He shook his head. “You can get seriously hurt poking around where you don’t belong, Father. Someone, at some point, isn’t going to be happy with you butting in on their business, and they’re going to come to you looking for something other than absolution.”    </p><p>Gavin turned back to Nines, glaring, but he couldn’t read the man’s reaction to his tirade. Nines remained silent, his face as still as an etching. Even his eyes were devoid of any trace of emotion from Gavin’s passionate response. </p><p>Connor, though, just smiled genially at Gavin and reached out to gently pat his arm. “I very much appreciate the concern, Lieutenant. I guess it is fortuitous that my brother has finally come to work here. For being the younger brother, he can sometimes have the protective streak of an older sibling.”</p><p>“I’ll take your word for it,” Gavin muttered, knowing Connor would just keep getting involved despite his warnings. He looked at both men once before he spoke, “Go back to your unit, both of you.” His eyes then rested on Connor. “And no more sniffing around.” He looked over Connor’s outfit, and added, “You might want to take a shower, Father. All that dust on your clothes makes you look like you were crawling around where you don’t belong.” </p><p>He pushed past them, ignoring Connor’s fruitless excuses as he dusted himself off, and focused on heading back towards the transport. Before he had walked more than a few steps, he stopped and turned to look back at Nines. “If you’re as protective of your brother as he says you are, you’ll put an end to this. It won’t end well for him, eventually. And I think you know that.”</p><p>Nines remained silent, but Gavin didn't wait for an answer. He continued walking, soon leaving the men alone again.</p><p>Once he was no longer in sight, Connor turned to Nines and smiled. “I think that went rather well, don’t you?”</p><p>Nines’ eyes lingered on where Gavin had exited, then turned to Connor and scowled. “You would think pissing off Central’s head of security after trespassing in a criminal’s headquarters as going well, wouldn’t you?”</p><p>He rolled his shoulders, suddenly realizing how tense he felt, and how much Gavin’s words were slowly nestling themselves uncomfortably inside his head. Not to mention the memory of Gavin pressed against his body, and how his quiet gasps of surprise had sent jolts of suggestive images surging through his mind while Gavin’s solid frame trembling in his hands, forcing Nines to barely hold back from spinning the man around to capture his lips in his own.  </p><p>He forcibly pushed those thoughts aside and began walking in the opposite direction Gavin took, heading towards the other end of the corridor where the transport would take them to the lower bridge that led to Jericho.</p><p>Connor fell in step beside him, buttoning up his vest and continuing to wipe the dust off the fabric. “I didn’t think the Commander would be available to speak with until the day after tomorrow, so getting those vials into his hands tonight was indeed a lucky break for us. That much quicker to relieving Mr. Williams from his duties as a moonlighting drug lord.”</p><p>Nines scoffed. “You would look on the bright side of a drug bust.”</p><p>“Well it’s not as if you didn’t gain anything from our venture,” Connor said, patiently side-stepping Nines’ snarky reply. “If I’d known you were in the process of making another advance on our security officer, I’d have given you more privacy.”</p><p>When they reached the transport, Nines slammed his hand down on the control panel harder than he had intended. He knew his brother was looking at him, but he kept his eyes straight, his tone defiant. “I was not attempting to seduce Reed. He had threatened to shoot you.”</p><p>Connor bursting out laughing was not the reaction Nines’ expected.</p><p>“You think ending up with blaster holes in your stomach are funny?” Nines snapped, finally turning to glare at his brother.</p><p>After he adjusted his clerical collar with a small blue triangle in the forefront, a symbol of his belonging to the New Galactic Diocese, Connor’s laughter subsided. “You and I both know that as gruff and ornery as the Commander is, he isn’t the kind of man to hurt an innocent person. Randomly blasting away into an air vent is one of the last things I would expect him to do.” Connor quirked an eyebrow at Nines. “You, however, taking the opportunity to pin the poor man you’ve been lusting after for over a month to a wall as an excuse to get close to him? Spot on.”</p><p>The transport doors opened and Nines and Connor stepped inside. Nines folded his hands behind his back. “Why can’t you act like a proper priest and be too indignant and uptight to talk about things like lust?”</p><p>“Please,” Connor said as the doors closed in front of them. “I’m a priest, not a monk. I’m quite aware of the natural desires and wants of men, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of how you feel for Gavin.”</p><p>Nines remained silent, choosing to ignore his brother. And he would have continued doing so if Connor wasn’t still staring at him.</p><p>“What?” Nines finally snapped. </p><p>“Your ruminations are loud, but not clear. Care to share?” Connor said. When it seemed like Nines was going to continue ignoring him, Connor continued. “I can keep the nagging up all night. You know that, brother.” </p><p>“He was worried for your safety,” Nines muttered quietly, relenting after a few moments. “I always thought he hated you involving yourself in these types of situations because he thought you were trying to one up him. Make him look bad. But when he laid into you tonight, it was because he didn’t want to see you get hurt. That part was real. Earnest.” He paused and turned back to looking at the elevator doors. “It was...unexpected.”</p><p>Connor smiled knowingly. “Sometimes the best things in life are just that...unexpected.”</p>
<hr/><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hello! Back again!</p><p>Please be sure to check out the lovely art that will accompany this story by the very talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a></p><p>New art will be updated along with the new chapters!</p><p>The upcoming posting dates for the new chapters of this story are as follows:</p><p>Chapter 3: November 25<br/>Chapter 4: November 29<br/>Chapter 5: December 4<br/>Chapter 6: December 8<br/>Chapter 7: December 12<br/>Chapter 8: December 16<br/>Chapter 9: December 20</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>“You didn’t happen to tell a certain nosy, pain-in-the-ass priest about today’s agenda, did you?”</p><p>Beside him, Gavin watched as Tina flinched, an obvious blip in her otherwise perfectly composed position of attention. Normally he would have waited to bring this up when they were alone, but he had spent the last remnants of the night and well into the morning finding, arresting, booking and then deporting Todd Williams into the hands of the Galactic Enforcement Commissioners for him to be arraigned for his drug running inside the spaceship.</p><p>He also had to forcefully keep himself from remembering how frustratingly good it had felt to have Nines’ hands on his body. That man had the tendency to get under his skin like nothing he had ever encountered before, and he would have been more into whatever unspoken connection that was brewing between them if it didn’t piss him off so damn much.</p><p>So, all that plus running on zero hours of sleep did not make him a man of restraint this morning.</p><p>“Knew that was going to come back and bite me in the ass,” she muttered quietly so that only he could hear her.</p><p>“Damn it, Tina,” Gavin hissed, annoyed. He pressed his lips tightly shut when Captain Fowler, standing in front of them positioned in the same stance, turned his head halfway to shoot him and Tina a pointed look before loudly clearing his throat. </p><p>They were all stationed inside Central’s main shuttle bay, watching as the private space cruiser belonging to Elijah Kaminski of Kaminski Technologies slowly descended from the wide double–doors opening above to the empty space reserved for its arrival. All around them personnel carriers, container shipments, and cargo cruisers were docked in their respective loading areas, while the circular layout of the sector’s levels illuminated off white, softly lit balconies perfectly stacked above each other displaying an impressive tower that made up Central stations receiving sector.</p><p>“If you two are done gossiping back there, you mind paying attention and doing your goddamned jobs?” </p><p>Jeffrey Fowler, the Captain of the entire space station, quietly but angrily, growled at Tina and Gavin, before turning back around to continue waiting for the ship to dock. He wore the same dress blues as Tina and Gavin, but his senior status was apparent by his peaked cap stitched with the station’s insignia of three ovals intersecting each other with a small roundel in the middle. His service coat’s left lapel was adorned with a colorful array of medals detailing his long affiliation with the battlefront before his advancement to keeping Central and Jericho afloat.  </p><p>Chastised, Gavin glared at Tina, who only scrunched her face back at him, and they both remained silent. For now. When they were alone he intended to remind Tina that Connor wasn’t the only one with a job that involved maintaining some semblance of secrecy. </p><p>Both of them had known and worked with each other since being paired together at basic training camp when they were just past sixteen. After years of military advancements that led to more years of fighting in planet-side battles, they were a package deal for when Fowler retired and brought them to work at Central Munitions Space Station. Tina had become head of security at Jericho, and Gavin held the same position at Central’s weapons facility. Despite their separate locations of work, their familiarity and respect for each other helped them work closely together to maintain the safety and peace of both facilities.</p><p>And that the basis of their friendship was that they happily got on each other’s nerves was a plus as well.</p><p>They both stood at attention with their hands behind their backs, waiting along with Central’s CEO and CFO, management staff, and ten other members of the station’s crew, including officers from both Tina and Gavin’s security teams. It was standard procedure when the facility was expecting a VIP to have personnel available if needs arose, and to show respect for their visitor’s position of standing.</p><p>Gavin thought it all just was a waste of time and man-power, but he was paid to follow orders, so he kept those thoughts to himself.</p><p>As the private cruiser finally landed, Gavin looked it over, taking in its sleek design and superior flight tech. He had seen plenty of bulky battle cruisers during his time on planet-side war-fronts, but he couldn’t help but admire the wealth of technology and style evidently on display. In Gavin’s reports he had heard that Kaminski had personally designed every inch of the vehicle, and was involved with the building of the cruiser himself. From what Gavin knew of the man, he wasn’t surprised.</p><p>After the cruiser finished its landing sequence, the side-panel door lifted opened, revealing to the crowd the first view of its visitors. As Gavin had expected, two scouts departed first. Both were men wearing light grey tactical suits with Kaminski’s company’s logo on the front. They were geared up with utility belts and slim but deadly blasters attached to their hips. They wore matching ear communicators and visors across their eyes displaying a running commentary of information. As they slowly came down the ramp it was evident they were inspecting their surroundings to confirm the location’s safety for their VIP. </p><p>Fowler walked towards them with the station’s CEO Allen Smith and its CFO North Eden beside him. Tina and Gavin followed behind at a short distance, while the rest of the crowd waited, silent viewers to the show. </p><p>“Welcome aboard,” Fowler said, and held his hand out to the man on the left. He was taller than Fowler by a good inch, and his hair was so blond it was nearly white. Gavin could see his eyepiece display some information, but it flew by so fast he didn’t know what the man had been reading.</p><p>The man nodded and took Fowler's hand. “Captain Fowler. A pleasure. My name is Daniel Phillips. I am the head of Mr. Kaminski’s security team.” He nodded towards the man on his right, a brunette who nearly matched Daniel’s height and build. “This is Matthew, my partner.” He let go of Fowler’s hand and continued. “Elijah and his wife are finishing up a conference call with the home office. He will be out shortly.”</p><p>Gavin didn’t miss the way Allen’s back tensed at being made to wait, an old negotiating tactic that always did its job. North however remained calm, and held out her hand to the man. “Thank you for the introductions and update, Mr. Phillips. My name is North Eden, I’m the CFO of Central Munitions Station.” She gestured towards Allen. “And this is the CEO, Allen Smith. We are so looking forward to the Kaminski’s visit to our place of work.”</p><p>Daniel nodded, obviously unfazed by how Allen didn’t acknowledge him, and touched his earpiece. “The Kaminski’s are en-route,” he said and stepped aside. Matthew did the same, and within moments a third man suited in expensive tactical gear and advanced tech stepped out, the final member of the security team. </p><p>Behind him a shorter man wearing a more casual grey business suit followed, the sides of his head lightly shaved to better display his longer hair tied into a tight pony-tail. His light blue eyes looked pleasant behind wire-framed glasses, and while one hand was shoved into his pants pocket, the other was loosely wrapped around his wife’s hand as she walked beside him.</p><p>Chloe Kaminski, as Gavin had read in his report before their visit, was just as lovely as she had been displayed in his data forms. Her small, pert face was highlighted by cornflower blue eyes even sharper than Elijah’s, and her blond hair shone as bright as a planet’s sun, tied together in a casual low pony-tail that hung off her exposed right shoulder. She wore a floor-length bunched wrap dress that matched her eyes and gently hugged every curve of her body. Light silver heels poked out under the fabric as she followed her husband down the ramp.</p><p>“What a welcome!” Elijah cheerily called out as he descended, eyeing the group in front of him. He let go of Chloe to quickly shake Captain Fowler’s outstretched hand. “Captain. A pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve gotta say, how you keep this massive facility airborne is beyond me.”  </p><p>“Simple physics and a whole lotta luck,” Flower replied, grinning.</p><p>Elijah let out a genuine laugh. He stepped to the side to continue his greetings as Chloe followed his path, smiling and addressing the CEO next. </p><p>“Allen,” Elijah said as he familiarly grasped the man’s hand. “It’s been too long. I appreciate you wanting to meet in person. Any chance to make an escape from the office is one worth taking.”</p><p>The CEO smiled. “I’ve always felt business is better done face-to-face.”</p><p>Gavin watched the rest of the pleasantries unfold in front of him, keeping a steady eye on the VIP’s and their guards. He wished he could skip this part, go back to his office or work on patrol with his fellow-officers, but he knew it was an unavoidable protocol to his job to be present during the arrival of passengers like these.   </p><p>Before long Fowler had separated himself from the group, back into his beloved role as Captain, and was leading Daniel towards Gavin and Tina, his hand gesturing out towards them.</p><p>“This is Commander Gavin Reed, head of security at Central, the weapons facility, and Commander Tina Chen, head of security for Jericho, the housing facility. They’ll be assisting you in maintaining the safety and security of the Kaminski’s for the duration of their stay.”</p><p>The man eyed them indifferently, and Gavin wasn’t surprised by this reaction. He had met dozens of bodyguards and security teams just like him during his time at Central, and their personalities all involved being pompous and superior because of their affiliation with a wealthy client. So he wasn’t surprised when Daniel dismissively said, “I’m sure my security team can handle this visit without inconveniencing either of you. We’re not exactly planet-side, so the anticipated threat levels are on the lower-end. Besides, I’m sure you two have your own...things to deal with.”</p><p>Fowler, also not surprised by the man’s cool reply and casual dig, smoothly said, “Be that as it may, they are at your disposal if you require their services for any reason.” He patted the man on his back and looked towards Gavin and Tina, his eyes betraying that he was sharing their same thoughts. “Take your officers and position them at the South Side transports. The VIP’s will take transport one to Sector Fifty, they want to head to the offices first before retiring. I’d like you to escort Allen and North in transport two to meet them. Get to work.”</p><p>Gavin and Tina both nodded, gave their Captain a respectful salute, and walked back to their teams stationed at the far end of the walkway.</p><p>When they were safely out of earshot, Tina scowled and said, “Uptight much?”</p><p>“When are they ever not?” Gavin replied and lifted a hand with his index finger up, then twirled it around once to gather his team’s attention. There were six officers, four women and two men, dressed in black light-weight tactical gear and carrying multi-use stun blasters. Since the VIP’s guards were the only newcomers armed, Daniel was right that the facility’s threat levels were considered low-level. But that didn’t mean Gavin and Tina’s teams didn’t have orders to follow. </p><p>“Alright crew, listen up. I’ll need three teams: two stationed by the cruiser, two up to Sector Fifty at transport one’s entrance, and two with me and Commander Chen in transport two as we escort the Principal’s CEO and CFO to their offices. Questions? No? Then fan out.”</p><p>As his team dispersed, he saw the Kaminski’s, still conversing with Allen and North, walking towards the transports. Their three guards flanked them, alert and focused.</p><p>“Ready for the longest elevator ride of your life?” Tina asked as she and Gavin moved to follow the group.</p><p>Gavin scoffed. “Longer than the time we were in Planet K-22 trying to avoid those blaster-runners after we took off with their score?” </p><p>Tina laughed. “Oh yeah! I thought for sure Fowler was going to jettison our asses for breaking command.”</p><p>When they reached the two transports positioned next to each other, Gavin watched as transport one opened and Elijah, Chloe, and their security team entered the shaft.</p><p>“Do you not wish for any of our security team to join you?” North asked politely. “I’m sure your men are quite competent, but we’d be happy to share our officers if you would like.” </p><p>Elijah waved a hand. “Please don’t take it personally. It’s a tight fit as it is, and the only people in the universe that I trust are in this transport with me.” He held out his hands indicating the small group around him, and they stayed that way as the doors closed in front of him.  </p><p>Gavin and Tina shared a look before they walked into transport two, North, Allen and two of Gavin’s officers following them. Captain Fowler waited outside, planning to take the next available transport back to the command deck after they were done, and saluted Gavin and Tina before the doors closed. </p><p>“Pull back a bit on the fawning, North,” Allen said when the lift began to move. He continued to look at his data pad. “Coming off a bit desperate there with Mrs. Kaminski.”</p><p>Gavin was used to this, being relegated to background dressing when he was working with the company's superiors. He didn’t mind, it was often worse when they paid attention to him, and he was happy for them to turn their attention on each other.</p><p>North breathed out an unconcerned sigh and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear before she casually replied, “There we go again, Allen. Reading each other’s minds. I just was about to tell you the same thing. Please try and not be so obviously needy of Elijah’s attention, it’s a bit awkward for all of us. And by the way, Chloe’s eyes are on her face, not her tits.”</p><p>Gavin didn’t need to see Allen’s face to know he was flushing with anger. The tips of his ears had turned bright red, and his back tensed tight. From the corner of his eye, Gavin watched Tina press her lips together, desperately trying not to laugh at the acidic banter. She was a damn good soldier, but always struggled with trying to remain subtle in awkward situations. </p><p>Allen turned to regard North, opening his mouth for what would no doubt be some intensely withering reply to match her insult, when the sudden, unexpected sound of blasters loudly being fired echoed in the near distance. The atmosphere of the transport shifted to surprise, and tense fear, as the new sounds of bodies suddenly thudding onto the floor followed the shots. A single loud shriek pierced through a short lull in the shooting, then silence. </p><p>“What the hell was that?” Allen yelled, breaking the tension, and whirled around to glare at Gavin. </p><p>Gavin was already shouting into his communicator, instructing the two guards at the top floor to be ready for a hostile inside transport one and to get med-techs there as soon as possible. Tina quickly worked at the data pad, trying to bring up security footage of the transport carrying the VIP’s.</p><p>“Signal’s is being disrupted,” Tina said, showing Gavin the blank feed with transport one’s name located on the upper right corner of the screen.  </p><p>Internally Gavin swore, then turned to the security officers behind him. “Commander Chen and I will take point when we reach the level. Escort the Principals to shelter one-”</p><p>“Like hell we’re going anywhere!” Allen cut in. He grabbed Gavin by the shoulder and spun him around. “Don’t you know who is in there?”</p><p>“Yes,” Gavin said, straining to keep himself from throwing Allen’s hand off him. “It’s who might still be in there now that wants to keep shooting when they reach our level that I’m worried about.”</p><p>“Goddamn it, listen to the man, Allen,” North said, and grabbed her colleague’s hand to drag it off Gavin. Her face was pale, and her voice shook when she spoke, but her eyes were steady as she looked at Gavin.</p><p>Allen jerked his hand away from North’s touch and snapped. “Fine.” </p><p>Gavin nodded to his officers, and then he and Tina pulled out their standard issue blasters, loading them to kill-shot settings. They stepped forward, forcing North and Allen to step back towards the end of the transport behind the officers who were switching on their blasters as well.</p><p>When the transport came to a stop, it took only a moment before the doors slid open. Gavin and Tina stepped out, blasters drawn, with Gavin looking south and Tina looking north. </p><p>Gavin saw his two officers stationed at the entrance of transport one. From his position he could see the doors were open, but not what was inside. “Report?” He called out to them.</p><p>One of them said, “No sign of the threat. But, we’ve got casualties.”</p><p>Gavin swore, even though he had been expecting as much. How the <em>hell </em>did this happen?</p><p>“Clear on this end,” Tina called out from where she was guarding the hallway leading towards the offices. </p><p>Gavin turned to the inside of transport two and beckoned for the small group to exit. “Take them to shelter one,” he repeated his orders to the officers. “And stay there until everything is secure.”</p><p>As the officers exited, followed by North and Allen, the CEO yelled out, “Are they dead? What the hell happened?”</p><p>“You’ll get a full report as soon as possible,” Gavin said. He ignored Allen’s glare and waited until the officers escorted them out of sight.</p><p>Tina stepped up to stand beside Gavin and sighed. “You ready for this shit-show?”</p><p>“No. Is it too late to retire?” Gavin replied. Resigned to do their jobs, they walked towards the transport.</p><p>The doors remained open, Gavin assumed one of the officers set the controls to keep it that way, which led to a wide display of the carnage that lay inside.</p><p>Blood had splattered and pooled along the white luminescent walls, ceiling and floor. Each drop had erupted from the bodies of the people Gavin and Tina had spoken with only minutes ago. </p><p>Multiple sets of pale, dead eyes looked up towards Gavin, a silent plea of reckoning for their lives cut too short by an unknown force who had chosen to wield their death blows.  </p><p>Gavin lifted his arm to contact Captain Fowler and request more reinforcements, but first muttered, “This is not good.”</p>
<hr/><p>“When I first heard the shooting, I immediately thought that one of Elijah’s men had turned on them. It’s the only thing that made sense at the time, sir, even if it’s a dumb as hell plan to go after him this way. No plan, no exit strategy. You can’t get in and out of the transport, there’s no easy access panel from the ceiling. And even if you somehow decided to try from the top and make your own entrance, the transport is ascending at such an intense speed, the downward pressure would make it impossible for a person to easily move around, much less hold yourself steady to go inside the transport, shoot five people, then get back out and escape. Data also shows that the transport never stopped during its time in use, hell it beat us to the top. Or that any damage was done to the transport during that time-frame.” </p><p>“Very astute observations, Commander. I am impressed.”</p><p>Gavin tensed when he heard the voice, and turned from where he had been speaking with Captain Fowler to see Father Stern standing behind him, his hands behind his back and his eyebrow raised in surprise.</p><p>He looked so much like his brother then that it took a moment for Gavin to realize which Stern brother was speaking to him.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing here?” Gavin snapped. “This is an active crime scene-”</p><p>“Reed,” Fowler cut in, his tone hinting at a warning. He stepped beside Gavin and held out his hand towards the priest.</p><p>“Father Stern. Thank you for coming. I hope you and Rabbi Levitt are aware that this won’t be your usual acts of last rites? The scene in there is...not pleasant.”</p><p>Connor returned the handshake, his body language tense and somber. “We’ve been briefed by Commander Chen.” He looked around at the officers and medics milling around the hallway, blasters drawn and at attention. “I’m terribly sorry that this has happened. What a tragedy.”</p><p>Nodding, Flower turned to Gavin. “We’ll finish this conversation later. Right now I want you to escort Father Stern and Rabbi Levitt to give their blessings before the med-techs take away the...victims. </p><p>Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Their blessings? A little late for faith at this point, don’t you think?”</p><p>Flower did not look amused, but before he could say anything Connor smoothly took a step towards Gavin. “I promise we won’t take up too much of your time. According to Rabbi Levitt the Kaminski’s were very involved with their local temple, and I understand two of their security officers were practitioners of their Christian faiths. We don’t mean to be a bother, just trying to be respectful during this trying time.”</p><p>Gavin still looked annoyed, but he remained silent, knowing that this is what his Captain wanted, and he was in no position to oppose his orders.</p><p>“You can go first,” Fowler said to Connor, then saw Allen and North heading towards him. “Excuse me.” He let out a deep sigh before stepping aside to meet the two down the hallway.</p><p>Gavin tilted his head towards the transport and began walking towards it.</p><p>“I promise I will be quick,” Connor said quietly as he fell in step beside Gavin. He turned and looked him over, “How are you holding up?”</p><p>Gavin jerked back a little in surprise. “Excuse me?”</p><p>“Death was not on your agenda today, Commander,” Connor said gently, giving the man an inquiring look.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Gavin snapped. “I’m used to death showing up when I’m not expecting it.” He glared at the priest. “It’s a little like you.”</p><p>Connor couldn’t stop a small smile edging up his lips at Gavin’s remark, and instead said, “Have you any clue as to how the perpetrator entered the transport?” He looked down at the bodies, and sighed sadly at the carnage before him.</p><p>Gavin just folded his arms and remained silent.</p><p>Connor crouched low, his robes billowing out as his eyes roamed over Elijah’s prone, bloody form. He stayed silent for a short time, taking in the scene.</p><p>“Is this part of your last rites, Father?” Gavin finally gritted out after his annoyance overtook his patience. He looked down at his communicator cuff where messages from his officers were waiting to be scanned. He was eager to get back to work and not waste any more time playing host to the priest.</p><p>“Commander,” Connor said after he stood. “Did I ever tell you that as part of my training for priesthood I was involved with the New Galactic Chaplain Corps for a time?”</p><p>Gavin unfolded his arms and placed them on his hips, genuinely surprised. “No. I did not.”</p><p>“I worked some planet-side battles, tending to the wounded, performing last rites and such, so, like you, I am not entirely unfamiliar with the tragic results of being on the wrong side of a blaster and someone’s ill intentions.” He pointed towards the victims. “However, despite my background, I am still very unfamiliar with all of the unpleasantness of blaster wounds. So please, tell me, why do I feel like what I am seeing is...wrong?”</p><p>Gavin looked at where Connor was pointing, and hesitated. He turned and looked down the hallway where he could see Fowler was still talking with an animated, furious Allen, a conversation he had no desire to join. </p><p>Running an annoyed hand through his hair, Gavin looked back at Connor and sighed.</p><p>“Fine. I haven’t had the chance to thoroughly go through the scene yet, so I might as well start before I got to waste more time and escort Rabbi Levitt.” Gavin stepped forward, gesturing for Connor to follow his lead. When Connor was beside him, Gavin pointed to the ceiling. </p><p>“Everyone is assuming someone unexpectedly came in, most likely through the ceiling, and already had their blaster out, firing before Elijah’s men could even unholster, right?”</p><p>Connor nodded. “Though you state that is improbable.”</p><p>Moving his hand back down, Gavin pointed towards Elijah’s face. “It is. See, with an execution like that, you’d expect the blaster wounds to be consistent with a face to face shoot-out. Forehead taps and chest wounds.</p><p>“The kill zones,” Connor commended.</p><p>Uncomfortable with knowing the priest was familiar with those words, Gavin said, “Yeah. But that’s not what we’re seeing.” He gestured to Elijah’s unblemished forehead. “The wounds ain’t where you expect them to be,” he shifted to the side so that Connor could see what he was looking at. “The wounds are there.”</p><p>Using his index finger, Gavin pointed to the unmistakable blaster wound on the crown of Elijah’s head, and as Connor reexamined the rest of the victims, he saw what Gavin had already noticed. The shoulders, upper backs and necks of the guards all shared the same wounds.  </p><p>“Well that is unexpected,” Connor said and looked back up at the transport’s ceiling. “But there are no blaster holes. So if the shooter didn’t try to shoot through the transport, how did they sustain those wounds?”</p><p>Gavin shook his head, having already noticed the same thing earlier back when he first inspected the scene. The transports walls, floor and ceiling were all built with a soft luminescent white paneling, with a large casing on the ceiling where soft light illuminated the lift. But the transport was sturdy and solid, no blaster a single person could carry could penetrate those walls.</p><p>“Hmm,” Connor hummed, and looked back down at the scene. His eyes scanned the victims, his face pensive and his lips tight as he ruminated on this new information. He then paused, regarding the far left end of the transport. </p><p>“What?” Gavin asked, mirroring Connor’s movements.</p><p>After a quick intake of breath, Connor tensed, then darted inside the transport.</p><p>“What the hell? Connor!” Gavin shouted, his surprise and anger overriding his usual formality to chase after the man. “This is still an active crime scene. Don’t go mucking around in it!”</p><p>“Mrs. Kaminski seems to be missing the same injuries as the others,” Connor shouted as he stepped over the slain bodies to shuffle to the floor. </p><p>Gavin hadn’t inspected Mrs. Kaminsky fully, he had assumed the med-techs had when they arrived. He had only seen a prone, unmoving body wrapped in long swaths of blue fabric speckled with red blood layered on the transport’s floor, and believed she had suffered the same fate as her husband. How could she have not?</p><p>He followed Connor towards the far end of the transport, and saw part of her arm and head face down, peeking out from below the body of a guard. “There’s no way she could have survived.” Gavin snapped, and reached down to grab Connor’s arm. “You need to let the medical examiners do their job.”</p><p>Connor jerked his arm away and grabbed the back jacket of the bodyguard. “Help me!” He said to Gavin, and tugged hard to drag the lifeless body off of her.</p><p>“Jesus,” Gavin muttered and, despite not knowing why, he reached down and slid his arms around the dead man, lifting him off the deceased wife. Connor wasn’t a weak man, but Gavin was trained in handling people twice his size. He slowly lowered him back down onto an open spot, careful not to damage the body further.</p><p>When he turned back he saw that Connor had gathered Chloe up in his arms, her lithe body limp and pale. She looked small and vulnerable, her blood-stained dress a weak barrier against the onslaught her body had suffered through, as it splayed out onto Connor’s lap and the floor. Gavin could see a blaster wound on her right leg, and another trailing down her right arm. Her head, dripping trails of blood from her temple, was tucked into the crook of Connor’s arm while his trembling hand touched her exposed neck. </p><p>Connor looked up at Gavin, his eyes wide. “She’s alive.”</p>
<hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for reading!</p><p>Please be sure to check out the lovely art that will accompany this story by the very talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a>AO3 Beili!</a>. </p><p>New art will be updated along with the new chapters!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>New chapter and new art! Please be sure to check out the lovely art that will accompany this story by the very talented artist Beili, who you can find <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a></p><p>The upcoming posting dates for the new chapters of this story are as follows:</p><p>Chapter 4: November 29<br/>Chapter 5: December 4<br/>Chapter 6: December 8<br/>Chapter 7: December 12<br/>Chapter 8: December 16<br/>Chapter 9: December 20</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>“What the hell am I going to do about this goddamn mess?” </p><p>Despite Gavin’s question, there was no one who could give him an answer.</p><p>The med bay was quiet at nearly midnight, and the clear paneling he stood in front of gave him a complete view of the private medical room housing Chloe Kaminski and her numerous injuries. Though she was alive, she laid anesthetized and motionless in a large hospital bed as the tubes and IV lines connected to her body breathed life back into her. The med-techs had confirmed her condition was tenuous but stable, and it would be a while before she could function on her own without medical assistance.  </p><p>Gavin’s fingers drummed an even tempo at his hips, his mind and body annoyed and eager to move, do something, <em>anything</em>, to figure out what the hell was going on and how he could possibly find the person who did this. For a moment he thought about going back to his unit and digging out some tobacco he had bought on his last trip planet-side, but it was a time-waster he wasn’t ready to indulge in yet.</p><p>“How is she?” </p><p>Turning, Gavin saw Connor speed walking down the hallway, his head already looking inside Chloe’s room. He was breathless and pale, but his eyes were alight with concern and trepidation. The tension lined across his shoulders eased a bit when he saw Chloe in her hospital bed, the machines fighting for her life beeping steadily beside her as they worked in tandem.  </p><p>“Alive, thanks to you,” Gavin muttered. He paused and looked down at the floor, an old familiar anger at himself flaring up. When Connor stopped to stand beside him, Gavin awkwardly continued. “And that’s not for nothing.” He nodded towards the room, his eyes flicking back onto the prone woman. “When that shit went down, it was so bad, the techs checked the bodies too quickly and just believed no one could’ve made it. And we shouldn’t have. She mighta’ bled out if you hadn’t caught her wounds. So, you know, thanks.” He couldn’t bring himself to continue being formal around the man, not when so much had happened so quickly.</p><p>He kept his eyes steady on Chloe, but Connor was tucked close enough into his peripheral that he could see him smiling slightly.  </p><p>“I am happy to have been of service,” Connor only said in that prim voice that grated on Gavin’s nerves. Not only because it was just so damn <em>prim</em>, but he also sounded so much like Nines that the resemblance punched his chest so hard he could feel the ache after the pain was gone.</p><p>“Yeah, well, let’s hope that service pays off. Medical said it’ll be a bit before Mrs. Kaminski will be up from her injuries, so until then I’ve got only about ten thousand suspects to go through.” He sighed and drummed his fingers again, more annoyed than frustrated this time. “And that’s just in Jericho.”</p><p>Connor folded his arms and stepped in front of Gavin, that slight smile growing a bit larger. “What if I could help narrow that down for you?”</p><p>Gavin quirked an eyebrow. As much as he wanted to reread the old script and tell Connor to go back to his unit and butt the hell out, the priest had earned the right to play detective a little bit longer.</p><p>For now.</p><p>Relenting, Gavin sighed. “Fine. You got a suspect?”    </p><p>A quick shake of his head was Connor’s answer. Then he added, “But, I might be able to help you with a murder weapon.” He paused and held up an index finger. “Or should I say, weapons?”</p>
<hr/><p>“You expect the perp to return to the scene of the crime?” Gavin asked as they walked up to the sullied transport. Night had long since fallen on the long day, and while the hallway was empty, there was a soft glow from Allen and North’s offices at the far end of the corridor that told him they were busy dealing with the fallout of Elijah’s death. </p><p>“That’s an outdated expectation,” Connor explained as he looked inside the now empty lift, his eyes focused on the ceiling. The blood and bodies had long since been cleared away, and if not for the transport being on lock down, it looked as if nothing had ever happened there.</p><p>“Most criminals, especially those who complete their job without trouble, will try to resume their lives as if nothing had happened, or will get as far away from their crimes as possible. Returning to the locale of their misdeeds when they have no need to would be superfluous.”     </p><p>“Fine,” Gavin said and folded his arms, holding back from asking how the hell Connor knew all that. A conversation for another time. “What do you got to show me?”</p><p>After reading a transmission from is communicator cuff, Connor walked back out of the transport and headed towards transport two. “I’ll be able to show you in a minute. Just waiting on some supplies.”</p><p>Confused, Gavin followed Connor to stand in front of transport two, and saw that the transport was ascending towards their floor. “We expecting company?”</p><p>Instead of answering, Connor just turned to him with a patient smile.</p><p>Before Gavin could demand an answer, the transport came to a stop and the doors opened. Nerves rippled up and down Gavin’s body when he saw who was inside.</p><p>“Ah blow me,” he muttered quietly. </p><p>Beside him, Connor shot Gavin a warning look before he turned frontwards. “Hello brother! Thank you for joining us.”</p><p>Nines stepped out of the transport holding a tool box in one hand, a small metallic device in the other, and a long cord rolled up hanging off his shoulder. His face was hard with annoyance, and his eyes narrowed even more when they landed on Gavin.</p><p>Gavin shifted uncomfortably under his hard stare, not forgetting their close encounter less than a day ago.</p><p>“I hope you have a damn good reason for asking for all of these things-” Nines began as he sauntered out into the hallway. As he got closer he stopped short then dropped the toolbox and metallic device, both loudly clanging to the floor where they fell.</p><p>He quickly stepped up to his brother, throwing the cord off his shoulder as he walked, and grabbed both of his shoulders as his eyes darted in every direction, inspecting his body. “You’re bleeding. Jesus Connor, there’s blood all over you! What-” His words were quick and breathless, and even in the low light his face was noticeably pale with shock and worry.</p><p>Surprised, Connor quickly grabbed Nines’ elbows to soften his tight grasp, and began to make soft, comforting sounds as he shook his head. “It’s okay Nines. It’s fine. And it’s not mine. Nines, look at me. It’s not my blood.” </p><p>Gavin blinked, shocked at what he saw. It was the closest thing to an emotion besides annoyance or anger he had ever witnessed Nines display. He remembered Connor’s words about Nines being protective, and was surprised to see it unexpectedly happening in front of him. He had barely noticed that Connor’s robes were still stained with Chloe’s’ blood, an old blind spot from his military days he assumed. Being covered in the remains of the fallen was something he had grown so used to over the years, he didn’t realize that seeing dried blood on the priest’s frock was so out of place.  </p><p>He watched as Nines finally dragged his eyes up to meet Connor’s, his breath finally evened out, though his body was still tense and focused.</p><p>“The murders,” Nines said, and slowly uncurled his hands. He swallowed, then narrowed his eyes. “I heard about them, but I was off-site at a meeting when they happened. Were you there? What the hell was he doing there?” </p><p>This last question was directed at Gavin, who Nines had now turned to and regarded with eyes that held a simmering rage that promised a prompt eruption.</p><p>“He wasn't there,” Gavin snapped, interrupting Connor’s attempts to downplay the situation to his brother. “He came afterwards to give last blessings or whatever. He found Mrs. Kaminski alive. That’s whose blood is on him. He saved her life.”</p><p>Not placated, Nines stepped up closer to Gavin. “It doesn’t matter. He shouldn’t have been there at all. Saving that woman isn’t his job.”</p><p>“Well aware, Nines,” Gavin yelled, stepping up as well to meet Nines’ glare. “Me and my team fucked up. You got something else to say about that that I don’t already know, please waste more of our time and enlighten me.”  </p><p>Nines’ lips pressed together hard, surprise rendering him mute. He hadn’t expected Gavin to admit fault so quickly, but the adrenaline at seeing his brother covered in blood tore at him like he had been the one to end up full of blaster holes. </p><p>Taking advantage of Nines’ hesitation, Connor quickly stepped up beside the two fuming men and said, “Well, now that that is settled, let’s move on and see if we can get a step closer to finding out who’s behind this mess, shall we?”</p><p>He bent down and picked up the toolbox and device, and then walked back towards transport one, leaving Nines and Gavin behind to finish their stand-off.</p><p>Gavin waited a moment to see if Nines had anything else he wanted to throw at him, but instead Nines just shook his head at him and followed his brother. Swallowing, Gavin watched Nines’ back as he walked away, and somehow, that small dismissal cut him deeper than any words Nines could have instead tried to hurt him with. </p><p>Inside the transport, Connor looked up at the ceiling as he held the device to his waist, fiddling with it. The toolbox beside his feet was opened, and a few tools were scattered on the floor.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing?” Nines snapped at his brother and swiped the device from his hands. “Have you ever even used one of these before?”</p><p>Connor made a move to grab the device back, but Nines just swatted his hand away, holding the device even higher. They were close enough in height that Connor could have reached it, but Nines’ had long, practiced years of developing his stealth and agility, skills that could ensure Connor would never get close enough to take the device back.</p><p>“Of course,” Connor said, annoyed, and placed his hands on his hips, giving up. “A few times during harvest season. I’m not a novice, Nines. I’m quite comfortable with anti-gravity flight.”</p><p>Nines scoffed and began to attach the device to his belt. “Picking apples at the seminary is a bit different than using this in a small enclosed space.” He pressed the button on the middle of the device, and waited until it blinked three times, then lit up bright blue. “Where do you need me to go?”</p><p>“Up.” Connor pointed to the ceiling with a soniscrew and waved it a bit to the right. “Check the right edges of the lighting case. I noticed earlier today that the attachments are different than the ones in transport two. I have a feeling there is a reason for that.”</p><p>Nodding, Nines pressed the blue button on the device, then gently began to float into the air, the anti-gravity belt making a soft whirring noise as it held Nines’ weight. When he was a few inches off the ground, Connor tossed him the soniscrew and watched his brother move towards the spot he wanted inspected.</p><p>Gavin walked up beside Connor and folded his arms, looking upwards at Nines with a frown. “Checking for some unauthorized maintenance up in here?” </p><p>“The shots came from above, Commander,” Connor said. “But there’s no damage to the ceiling. I think that was intentional.”   </p><p>“You think someone turned this place into a goddamned kill box,” Gavin said.</p><p>Connor ignored Gavin’s blasphemous swear and nodded. “Someone in this facility wanted Mr. Kaminski dead, and what better way to kill a heavily guarded man than by setting a trap?”</p><p>“I think you’re right that someone was up to no good in here,” Nines called down below to the two men. “There’s definitely signs that someone was recently doing work up here. Fresh scratches in the ceiling, some cracks on the case.” He used the soniscrew to finish unhooking the attachments, and placed his hand on the edge of the solid white lighting case.</p><p>Before he went any further, Nines looked down at Gavin and Connor, his mouth open to warn them to step back, but saw that Gavin had already grabbed Connor by the shoulder and was dragging him backwards towards the entrance of the transport. </p><p>“I’m sure we’d be perfectly safe,” Connor huffed at Gavin before he looked back up at Nines.</p><p>“Let’s not chance you meeting your maker before you’re ready, Father,” Gavin said and then looked up at Nines as well. Their eyes met, and Gavin quickly looked away. </p><p>Nines pushed aside a twinge of guilt pricking at his stomach and turned back towards the thick material in his hands. He pushed upwards, then tried to slowly lower the heavy casing. Before he had moved it a few inches, a sudden sharp force pushed against the casing, and it slipped from Nines’ hands. When the case fell aside, three large blasters fell a half a foot from where they had been hidden inside the ceiling, attached to a set of complicated machinery.</p><p>“Good Lord,” Connor exclaimed, surprised despite having suspected their existence.</p><p>“I’ll be damned,” Gavin quietly said and took a step forward. “A goddamned kill box.”</p>
<hr/><p>“He must have needed those attachments to create a springboard for the lighting case to open remotely, then close when it was done to throw us off his scent. Of course we would originally imagine a person committing the crime by entering and then exiting the transport, not a remote murder weapon. How diabolically clever. Not a soul would have thought to look for a difference in those screws.”</p><p>“You did,” Nines said, impressed once again by his gentle, pacifist brother’s unusual knack to anticipate and understand violent criminal endeavors. </p><p>“Only because I had the unfortunate advantage of hindsight,” Connor conceded. He folded his hands behind his back, a habit he and his brother shared. “If there were no murders, there would be no reason to look for sabotage.” </p><p>Gavin half-listened to the brothers' talk as they walked behind him. He knew these corridors so intimately he didn’t need to look up from the data being downloaded onto his communicator cuff. He scanned the response to a message he had sent out earlier that day, then frowned at what he read.</p><p>The three men had only just left Tina Chen with a scene crew to inspect their discovery in the transport’s ceiling. Before their arrival Nines had used his extended knowledge of weapons to inspect the blasters while they waited for Chen. </p><p>“These blasters are definitely military grade, and obviously modified for remote use and for short-term durability. Hence why they didn’t give a repeat performance of their intended use just now.” Nines explained before Chen’s team arrived. He had prodded at some of the attachments and quickly located the remote detonator. “Short-range. Which means it was detonated in-house, not off-site.”     </p><p>Gavin had left Tina and the crew shortly after they arrived, stating he had a lead he wanted to pursue, and despite not inviting them, the Stern brothers quickly trailed behind him as he entered transport two to head to another location in Central.     </p><p>“He had to of known we would have found his trap eventually,” Nines said thoughtfully to his brother. “You two were able to ascertain the unique locations of the victim’s wounds quite quickly.”</p><p>“Yes, but all he needed was to get Kaminski and the others into the transport, and, I assume, press a button to finish the job. I imagine he had anticipated being off-site by the time we discovered his crime, considering he utilized a short-range detonator.”</p><p>Nines nodded. “It’s risky, but more reliable than an off-site remote.” He looked at Gavin who was tapping away at his communicator. “Commander, do you have anything new to add, or are you busy filling out some more noncompliance reports?”</p><p>Gavin paused in his stride and turned to Nines with a barely concealed sneer. “I didn’t want to interrupt your brainstorming session,” he said as his communicator beeped once again. “Look, your assistance has been noted, but you two have done enough. Security can take it from here, so you’re welcome to go back to your congregation or,” he looked at Nines, “bed buddy or whatever it is you do when you’re not being your brother’s big damn shadow. I can keep looking for the perp on my own.” He looked down at his wrist and began turning away. “So, thanks.”</p><p>When his back was facing the brothers he continued walking away, clearly dismissing them, but stopped short when Connor suddenly appeared in his path, holding up his hands. “Commander, please. Look how much progress we’ve made in such a short amount of time!” He pressed his hands together and quickly continued. “I understand that we are civilians,” Connor ignored Nines’ indignant snort from behind Gavin, “so we will follow your lead. But I think we’ve been working well together, and we would like to help you see this through.”</p><p>“Father, I don’t need your help,” Gavin said through gritted teeth. “Really. I think it’s best if you go back to your unit now.”</p><p>Connor shot a look at Nines who had folded his arms, raised his eyebrows in surprise, and had opened his mouth to form a retort to Gavin’s statement. </p><p>“Of course you don’t need us,” Connor said placatingly, cutting off Nines before he could speak. “We know that you and your team are more than capable of handling the rest of this case. We are just so involved now, it would be great to be able to see it through.” </p><p>“I appreciate the offer, and all the help you’ve given so far,” Gavin said, and was surprised by how much he meant it. “But really, Father,” his tone dropped a bit and his voice shifted, then surprisingly, softened, “I really, seriously suggest you go back to your unit, now.” </p><p>Suddenly Connor tensed with realization: Gavin was holding something back.</p><p>Despite his confusion mixed with a surge of curiosity, Connor forced himself to step around Gavin and walk back to his brother. “Well then, I understand that this is your case, and the last thing we would want to do is hinder you. Nines and I will do as you ask and return to our unit. Just please consider contacting us if you require any assistance.”</p><p>Gavin nodded, eyeing Connor’s movements.</p><p>Nines frowned at his brother, watching him walk back towards him, then turned to glare at Gavin. It was obvious Connor was upset at how Gavin dismissed them so easily, so he couldn’t help himself when he sneered, “Of course, Commander. We’ll be sure to keep ourselves available for when you inevitably need us again. Shall we expect you in what...ten minutes? Five?”</p><p>“Nines,” Connor hissed and ran a hand across his face. “I think we should do what the Commander has asked of us.” </p><p>When Nines scoffed at Connor, Gavin snapped, “Listen to your brother, Nines.”</p><p>Nines stepped up to Gavin, peering down at him with a sneer. “Maybe you should take your own advice, Reed. Connor does seem to often one-up you when it comes to this sort of thing. Maybe if you listen to him, he wouldn’t always have to do your job for you.”</p><p>A dark look passed over Gavin’s face. Once again, he couldn’t help but be dragged in by Nines’ sharp words, the hurt digging deeper than he wanted to admit. Gavin glared back up at Nines, his eyes alit with a fury at the man’s audacity to challenge him. They stared at each other for a few moments, then Gavin forced down that hurt so he could mold his scowl into a smirk and looked at Connor.</p><p>“You two want to stay involved? Fine. Have it your way. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”</p><p>“Commander-” Connor tried, but the officer ignored him.</p><p>Gavin tapped at his communicator, and the face of a pale, dark-haired middle aged man came up on a holograph, his face outlined in blue flickerd in front of Nines and Connor. “You ever hear of a man named Zlatko Andronikov?” </p><p>Connor looked up at Nines briefly before he shook his head. Gavin turned to Nines expectantly, but eventually he shook his head as well. </p><p>“Neither have I, before just now. After the murders, I contacted a military outpost who handles patrols in this quadrant. I asked them to send me a list of criminals that have been known to pull jobs out this way. I matched their list to a face rec of new arrivals to the facility from the past month, which was when the meeting at Central with the Kaminski’s was first set.”</p><p>Gavin pointed to the man. “There were a few matches, but this guy was the only one whose previous jobs matched the style of Kaminski’s hit. He isn’t operating here under the name Zlatko, though. He came in on a recent transpo full of new hires for grunt work for the facility almost three weeks ago, which is enough time for him to case the place out, figure out the best way to commit the crime, and then actually put the kill box together.”</p><p>He turned back to Connor, his eyes steady. “According to some reports from my officers, he works the same receiving line as Markus and his crew.”</p><p>Connor paled a bit, tensing at the news, now understanding why Gavin wanted him to retire. He glanced nervously at his brother before turning back to Gavin and stepped up to him. “Commander,” he began, his voice laced with hesitation, “you can’t possibly think that Markus or any of his...acquaintances could be involved with what happened. For God’s sakes, you know the man.”</p><p>“Who the hell is this Markus?” Nines asked.</p><p>Avoiding his eyes, Gavin kept his gaze steady on Zlatko’s face as he answered, “Markus has been suspected of running a crew of workers who are behind recent sabotages to the weapon’s manufacturing equipment as a statement against tech advances being made to the facility that causes job loss or endangers the workers. That equipment was also made by Kaminski’s corporation.” He paused to allow both men to assess that new information before he looked at Connor. “He and some of his crew have also been seen attending your masses, Father. I’ve even heard you’ve presided over a wedding or two of theirs. Specifically Markus’ to his husband, Simon.”</p><p>“Wait a minute,” Nines cut in, holding out a hand. “You can’t possibly suspect Connor being involved in this.” He looked at Connor whose face was tight with concern. “Is this why you want Connor to back off? Because he’s friendly with a suspect?”</p><p>“Don’t get your ass hairs in a twist, Nines. I’m not so dense to think Connor is involved in the murder or sabotages.” But that he had an idea of who was involved? Definitely, Gavin thought silently.</p><p>He decided to keep that tidbit to himself for now though. He shut off the hologram, and tried hard to dial back his annoyance at Nines so he could focus on what he was trying to explain to Connor. “I know how close you are with your congregants, Father. But you have to understand that we’re not just going after some lone assassin. We’re going to need to go after who wanted Elijah Kaminski dead, and that could be someone you’re close to, whether you want to believe it or not.”</p><p>Connor folded his arms and took a few steps away from the men, his mind racing. “This is madness, Commander. You think Markus could possibly afford to hire an assassin to commit this crime? Someone with the level of skills Zlatko possesses?” He tried to keep his voice even, but it was evident the thought that these men were suspects was upsetting.</p><p>Gavin shook his head, having already anticipated this question. “Markus alone? No, but pooled together with a group of people who all share the same ideals? You know that it’s a possibility.”</p><p>Sighing, Connor placed his hands on his hips. “I have faith that he isn’t, but if Marks is involved, we’ll know soon enough.” He gestured towards Gavin. “Do you know where Zlatko is now?” </p><p>“In hiding, I’d assume,” Gavin answered. “I already assigned an officer to toss his unit, and it was cleaned out. Before that I had shut down outgoing off-site transpos as soon as the murders happened, so that plus my officer’s report, as far as we know Zlatko never left.”</p><p>“Unusual,” Connor conceded. “I would have assumed the assassin would have fallen into the category of get as far away from the crime as fast as possible. Unless he had an alternative exit plan, or there is an unknown reason for him to remain onboard Central station. But I think, realistically, we can guess as to why he has remained.”</p><p>“Money,” both Gavin and Nines said at the same time. They quickly looked at each other, then looked away.</p><p>Connor would have been more amused at the awkward scene between the two men, but his mind was focused on the difficult turn the investigation had suddenly taken.   </p><p>“What do you suggest we do next?” Nines quietly asked Gavin after he folded his hands behind his back. Gavin glanced at him, as if waiting for Nines to follow up with a withering remark, but he remained silent. </p><p>He didn’t know that Nines was once again chastising himself for his harsh words towards Gavin, and his inability to tamper down the surge of mixed emotions that erupted whenever Gavin was nearby. Every time he thought he knew what he was going to say or do, Gavin would surprise him with his ability to maintain a keen instinct in his position and his deft handling of his brother.</p><p>He sometimes didn’t know if he wanted to smack the man upside his head or pull him into the first private room he could find.</p><p>“If we’re right in assuming Zlatko hasn’t been fully paid for his crime yet, then we need to find him, fast.” Gavin said before he stepped up to Connor, interrupting Nines’ thoughts. “I know you don’t believe he’s involved, but we have to find Markus and ask him some questions. It has to be done.”</p><p>Connor nodded, though he was clearly dismayed at the thought.  “No, you’re right. We do need to find Zlatko, and this is the only lead we have. I’m confident Markus will want to help.”</p><p>Gavin nodded, then turned and headed towards the entrance to the weapon’s facility. He didn’t need to look back to know that Connor and Nines would be following.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Another new chapter and more new art! Please be sure to check out the lovely art that will accompany this story by the very talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a></p><p>The upcoming posting dates for the new chapters of this story are as follows:</p><p>Chapter 5: December 4<br/>Chapter 6: December 8<br/>Chapter 7: December 12<br/>Chapter 8: December 16<br/>Chapter 9: December 20</p>
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    <hr/><p>The night shift at Central was bustling.</p><p>Below the domed ceiling clear partitions showed the stars and a distant moon watching over the weapon’s facility working in chaotic tandem sorting, melding and taking inventory of materials and components needed to create an incalculable variety of large and small weapons capable of destruction across every known galactic quadrant. </p><p>Conveyor belts loaded with parts traveled to various sectors of the factory, manned machinery created deadly gas and energy cells as ammo, and even some lighter crates and boxes wore modified gravity discs, ascending in a straight shot into the air as workers stories above waited to receive their cargo load. The scent of chemicals and fire hung in the air like a heavy cloud with no chance of cooling rain.</p><p>“Markus works the receiving line for new shipments,” Gavin said as their boots clanked along one of the metal catwalks that were part of a maze connecting separate workstations located around the facility. Above and below them, men and women working the night shift were dressed in dark and tan work suits with protective gear and helmets, steadily performing their various duties of checking datapads, sorting materials, or organizing new or damaged equipment. They all seemed focused on their work, but Gavin had no doubt they were inspecting the newcomers and were curious as to why they were there, keenly aware of the strangeness of a badge and a collar suddenly working together. </p><p>News of the murders had reached every ear in Central and Jericho, and anywhere that Gavin was, people were sure he was working on the case, and employees and their friends and family were no doubt warning each other to steer clear of his path.</p><p>So when they arrived at the receiving line looking for Markus, Gavin wasn’t surprised to find him missing from the group of people steadily monitoring the incoming shipment of new materials being unloaded from a cargo-cruiser.</p><p>A series of large mechanical arms were currently working on loading giant cargo boxes onto a conveyor belt above them. Below, three separate fifteen foot humanoid robotic machines powered by humans nestled inside their chassis worked to sort through and separate larger machinery inside crates that were too heavy for humans to lift. Their loud footsteps echoed inside the facility as they moved, and Gavin suddenly remembered that the workers nicknamed the mechs the Big Boys.  </p><p>Pissed that their current suspect wasn’t where they expected him to be, Gavin made to grab the nearest human assembler and start demanding where Markus had gone. Before he had even opened his mouth he was stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder as Connor passed by, heading towards a light haired man working a boxed control station further down the floor. </p><p>“Simon!” Connor called out as he stepped up to the man, waving a friendly hand and smiling warmly. “How are you this evening?”</p><p>Tall, pale and with eyes nearly as blue as the man who was addressing him, Simon jerked back in surprise when he saw the priest. He pressed a few buttons on his control panel and touched the back of his ear where a small white communicator device could be seen nestled behind the shell, and said, “Take five everyone. We’ve got company.”</p><p>After he stepped away from the panel, he took Connor’s outstretched hand and shook it, his eyes examining him with wary confusion. “Father Stern? What brings you down here? Thinking of switching careers?” He tried for a light-hearted joke, but worry etched the lines around his eyes.</p><p>Connor laughed genially. “Not quite, Simon. I’m afraid it’s business as usual for me.” He gestured behind him towards the two men. “I don’t think you’ve had the chance to meet my brother. This is Nines. I believe I’ve mentioned before that he’s newly stationed at Central as a weapons specialist.”</p><p>Nines nodded towards the man he only knew as Markus’ husband, but said nothing and remained still. Simon hesitantly returned the nod.</p><p>Connor then moved onto Gavin. “And you and the Commander are familiar with each other, I assume.”</p><p>Simon didn’t tense at Connor’s words, he <em>was </em>familiar with the security officer, but just nodded again and cautiously said, “Evening Commander.”</p><p>“Simon,” Gavin greeted, then shifted towards business. “I need to speak with Markus. Right now. Do you know where he went? He’s scheduled to be working this shift.”</p><p>Simon frowned, and his eyes narrowed a bit. “He switched shifts not too long ago to work the AM slot. He should be back at our unit now, resting. The schedule change doesn’t get updated until the night manager finishes his rounds.” He paused, his body visibly tensing despite outwardly trying to remain calm. “Is there anything I can help you with?”</p><p>Connor opened his mouth to speak but Gavin stepped forward, taking over. They had wasted enough time, and he wanted answers, now. “We think Markus might have information on the murders of Mr. Kaminski and his entourage. I assume you’ve heard what happened?”</p><p>Simon visibly blanched. He opened his mouth once, then closed it, then tried opening it again before he stuttered out, “T-that’s absurd! Why would you possibly think that?” He turned to Connor, his eyes wide with fear. “Do you think that, Father?”</p><p>As Connor quickly shook his head, Gavin reached his arm out, touching his wristlet to activate Zlatko’s wanted notice he had shown Nines and Connor earlier. ”‘Does this man look familiar?”</p><p>The flicker in his eyes and the hesitation in Simon’s breathing gave Gavin his answer. But he needed more than silent confirmation. “He’s dangerous Simon. You and Markus could both be in danger if you are associating with him.”</p><p>Still hesitating, Connor stepped up to Simon and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I know this is much to take in, Simon, but please believe me when I say that you can trust that Gavin only wants to find Zlatko and the person who hired him.”</p><p>Simon’s eyes knitted together and he turned to Connor. “His name is Zlatko?” He swallowed nervously and then turned to Gavin. “We only know him as Anton. He was assigned to work the line with myself and Markus, but he kept to himself. Didn’t talk much, didn’t interact with anyone besides what needed to be done with work. Some of the linemen are like that, you know? Keep to themselves, and we don’t push if that’s what they want.” He shook his head and desperately pleaded, “I can promise you that Markus is innocent in all of this, and that that is all I know about the man you’re looking for. If you want to talk to him, I think he was supposed to work a shift tonight.”    </p><p>He lifted his wrist and tapped at the device connected to it, running his eyes over the data being retrieved. Suddenly his breath caught, and his eyes widened with fear. “Oh no.”</p><p>“What?” Gavin snapped.</p><p>Paling even more, he looked up and then towards the Big Boy that was now standing beside them. “He’s working that mech.”</p><p>The three other heads turned towards the robot. It was humanoid and bulky with rusted lines of faded yellow and brown along its arms and legs, but the front casing was all black, shielding the outside from viewing who was working inside the chassis.  </p><p>“Oh shit,” Gavin hissed, and quickly unholstered his blaster.</p><p>That was all it took. The mech whirled and lifted a heavy mechanical arm before slamming it down towards the men.</p><p>“Run!” Connor yelled. He grabbed a shocked Simon and dragged him away from the swinging arm just as Gavin began to open fire at the mech, the assault barely leaving more than dark scorch marks on the casing. </p><p>A loud bang echoed inside the facility as the heavy fist connected with concrete. Workers nearby began shouting and running away, warning others to do the same.</p><p>The Big Boy straightened and began turning towards Gavin. Nines saw Gavin still shooting at him, and quickly lunged towards him before sliding his arms around Gavin’s waist and pulling him towards his chest, tucking him in close. He pushed them both down so that they were crouching behind a large crate blocking them from view. </p><p>“What the hell are you doing?” Gavin yelled, shocked that once again Nines’ body was wrapped around his without any warning. As his cheek pressed against Nines’ solid chest, that familiar scent of spice and blaster cleaner triggered his heart to beat even faster, his body to respond with undeniable want. But before he had finished his last word, the sound of a crate flying above them, then crashing into another stack of crates a dozen feet from them erupted in a mix of loud clangs and bangs of materials falling and scattering to the floor. </p><p>Gavin swallowed down any further protests.</p><p>After the crash, Gavin looked up at Nines, shocked to see worry mixed in with sheer determination. Despite the chaos erupting all around them, for the brief moments that passed, the only things that suddenly mattered in the world were each other.</p><p>Breathing heavily, Nines brought a hand up to Gavin’s cheek and as their gazes locked, Nines bent forward and brushed their lips gently together, a short exchange of breath and touched skin, before he pulled away.</p><p>Locked in place, Gavin couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, shock and confusion rendering him mute. Never would he have imagined Nines to do...<em>that</em>.</p><p>When Nines pulled back, he gently swiped at some dirt marking Gavin’s skin, then gave him a small smirk at his confused stare. “Try not to get killed, please.”</p><p>They both looked at each other, Gavin blinking in surprise at the soft touch, the casual request to stay alive. Before Gavin could ask him what the hell was that, the sound of the Big Boy’s mechanical foot loudly stepping down onto the concrete near them, causing the ground to tremble beneath them, shook Gavin from his surprise. He rolled out of Nines’ embrace and began re-shooting at the mech. </p><p>“Aim for the face plate!” Nines yelled at Gavin as he ran towards the control panel Simon had been using. He wasn’t familiar with the setup, but had noticed the power cords running from the panel to the mech, and hoped the disengage command would be easy to spot to stop the machine before he did more damage.</p><p>“It’s just as blaster-proof as the rest of the damn robots!” Gavin yelled back at Nines. He shifted backwards until he reached some stacked crates that he could crouch low behind. “Got any other bright ideas?” He yelled again before he shifted to begin to open fire at the mech once more. </p><p>Nines’ fingers flew over the keys just as fast as his mind read the scrolling data as he tried to find any kind of indication as to where the operating software’s shut down command prompts were. Suddenly he saw it: commandshutdown.exe?</p><p>Slamming his hand on the panel, the controls began beeping and flashing bright red as a sign signaling “EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN IN PROCESS” across the screen. Nines looked up to see the mech’s arm hanging mid-air as it was picking up a crate, presumably to throw at them. Its hand opened and dropped the item loudly back onto the concrete, before slouching as the power left its body.</p><p>“No good!” Simon suddenly yelled from where he and Connor were off to the side by some stacked crates. Connor was waving and yelling at the other people in the facility to run, his back towards the other men. “It has remote power!”</p><p>Just as he finished speaking, the mech’s internal machinery began whirring and clanking, and it straightened once again before resuming its command to lift the crate. </p><p>“Gotta be fucking kidding me,” Gavin moaned when he saw the mech move again, then turn its attention to Connor. Without taking another thought, Gavin dove out from behind the crate, shooting his blaster at the gears holding the machine’s arm together to slow it down, buying him a few extra seconds as his legs pumped with adrenaline and his lungs burned with fear.</p><p>He could hear Nines screaming his brother’s name as the mech let the crate leave its hand, flying through the air with such rapid speed Gavin didn’t have time to see it before he dove at Connor’s mid-section, forcing both of them to the ground as the crate’s trail left a whiplash of hot air sailing centimeters above them.</p><p>“Gavin,” Connor panted in shock and pain when he looked up from his spot on the ground and saw Gavin beside him, struggling to stand.</p><p>“Oh, I’m really gonna love arresting that fucker,” Gavin growled, his body aching from the forceful landing on cement, and looked up at the mech, ready to pull out his blaster again.</p><p>Instead of shooting, the first thought Gavin had was, <em>where the hell did Nines get that blaster?</em></p><p>The second was, if Nines died, he was going to kill him.</p><p>A large scale military grade blaster had found its way into Nines’ hands, and he wasn’t holding back from unloading the artillery at the mech. The damage each blow did to the machine was evident by the deep, cutting scorch marks and the smoke emanating from in between the gears and shifting cranks as the mech tried to move. Nines kept blasting until the weapon ran empty. He swore, threw the blaster to the ground and dove into an open crate to grab another one.</p><p>Using this brief lull to its advantage, this time the mech stepped forward and, using both hands, grabbed the control panel Nines and Simon had been using minutes before. The screeches of metal twisting and crunching beneath its hands echoed inside the facility as the panel was lifted above the mech’s head, its intention to take another shot clear. </p><p>Nines watched for only a moment before lifting his blaster to begin his assault again, but he had barely gotten his finger on the trigger before the panel had left the mech’s hands, flying like an old-world bullet through the air.</p><p>Nines dove and met the floor with a skull-racking thud, but the space between him and the make-shift projectile was distant enough that he instinctively knew he wasn't the target.</p><p>Unfortunately, something much worse was.</p><p>The panel collided with a chemical holding tank that, once on impact, an explosion quickly erupted outwards, engulfing the metal in a clutching cloud of red and smoke, before billowing out into an inferno, stretching out into the facility fast and wide like a grasping hand.</p><p>From where Connor and Gavin stood, they watched in horror as the fire quickly began to spread on every surface it touched, tidal waving to where Nines and the mech still faced-off.</p><p>“Nines!” Connor and Gavin screamed simultaneously as the inferno turned into red and orange tendrils, reaching above Nines like it wanted to drag him into its path. But it was Gavin who surged forward when the curtain of smoke and flames finally cut them off from being able to see Nines, crouched low on the cement, his body curled inwards against the onslaught of heat and flame. </p><p>Gavin’s breath quickened into desperate gasps and his heart thundered in his chest as a wave of fear engulfed him whole as he watched helplessly as Nines slowly faded from sight, flickering fire and dense smoke replacing his outline in the distance. </p><p>“God dammit! No!” Gavin yelled when Connor grasped on to him, keeping him from going forward. He had half a mind to deck the man, confused and betrayed that he was being held back, and when he turned to fight him off, Connor grabbed him by the face, his eyes wide with fear and his body trembling with grief.</p><p>“Gavin, we have to go!” Connor yelled his words over the roaring flames.</p><p>Shaking his head, Gavin pleaded, “No! What is wrong with you? We can still save him. He-”</p><p>“Gavin,” Connor yelled again, keeping his eyes locked onto Gavin’s even as the fire began spreading closer to them. </p><p>Gritting his teeth, and going against everything his heart and soul told him to do, Gavin sucked in a shallow breath, and forced back the grief, tearing him in half. He shook his head, and then grabbed Connor before they ran towards the exit. As desperately as Gavin wanted to go back and try to help Nines, he knew that saving Connor from the danger was the only thing Nines would ever want.</p><p>Even if, right now, Gavin felt like perishing right there with him.  </p>
<hr/><p>The explosion left Nines’ ears ringing like someone had struck a planet sized bell.</p><p>He turned to survey his options, desperately trying to ignore his skin singeing and the heat so intense it felt like a boulder was weighing down his chest, stealing his breath right from his lungs.</p><p>He coughed and watched the flames around him sway as they devoured everything in sight. He couldn’t spot an opening to escape, the fire now a wall so high the smoke was billowing against the domed ceiling of the factory. He looked beside him and saw that the mech’s panel was open, but no one was inside or outside or around the abandoned robot. It was just Nines, alone, against the fire inching its way closer to him with every passing moment</p><p>Damnit, he thought to himself. All this, and Zlatko still escaped.</p><p>But…if Zlatko could escape, there must be a way out for him. For a moment he worried about Connor and Gavin, but he pushed that thought aside. From everything he had seen so far, there was no way that Gavin would risk Connor’s safety to save him. They were gone, and safe, and he was grateful for that. </p><p>Instead, he focused on how he was going to get out of this mess. It wasn’t the first time Nines had found himself in a situation where death seemed like his only option. He had found his way out then, and he could do it again, despite seeing nothing but smoke and flames from every side.</p><p>Every side...but above.</p><p>Hope and a barely thought out plan made his heart beat triple time as he reached towards his belt, grasping the gravity disc that was still attached to him. With shaking hands, he pressed the button, activating it. The oppressive heat grew stronger as Nines mentally willed the device to charge faster, and as soon as he saw the blue circle light up, he punched the button again.</p><p>Gently, and too slow for comfort, Nines began rising into the air. He shook his head a few times to stay focused, but between the heat assaulting his body and the smoke spilling down his throat, he knew staying conscious was a battle he was losing fast. </p><p>He needed an exit as soon as possible, but he was unfamiliar with this part of the facility, and didn’t even know if he was heading in the right direction. All he saw were the stars above, and the smoke blocked everything else in his path. All he could do was hope this last play would work in his favor.</p><p><em>Just make it to the bridge</em>, he thought to himself as the faint outline of a metal walkway came into view, barely visible above the smoke flaking it from every side. He could feel the discs belt stutter, the power low, and harshly whispered, “C’mon you piece of shit!” </p><p>The disc stuttered again, and just as Nines began to worry that the fall back to the cement would kill him before the fire and smoke could, he saw a lone figure running the length of the bridge, a shadow behind the smoke. Nines couldn’t make out more than that it was a man, and he was wearing a mask and suit to protect his face and body from the heat and to breathe through the smoke.</p><p>He slid to a stop when he saw Nines, and began to lean against the side of the walkway, a pale hand outstretched towards him as far as he could reach.</p><p>The smoke stung his eyes, and his vision was growing weak from the lack of oxygen, but he could see clearly enough to make his way closer to his only hope. As the disc began to stutter again, he reached out the tips of his fingers, barely touching the other man’s.</p><p>Another stutter, an exhale of nothing but smoke, and Nines could only just barely feel rough, calloused skin slide against his own before his whole world went black.</p>
<hr/><p> </p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hello! Back again!</p><p>Please be sure to check out the lovely art that will accompany this story by the very talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a></p><p>New art will be updated along with the new chapters!</p><p>The upcoming posting dates for the new chapters of this story are as follows:</p><p>Chapter 6: December 8<br/>Chapter 7: December 12<br/>Chapter 8: December 16<br/>Chapter 9: December 20</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>“Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It’s been exactly never since the last time I confessed.”</p><p>Gavin’s voice was rough from the smoke and heat, and even he knew there was barely any humor to his wording, but he felt awkward in the small wooden confessional box, the smell of incense and wood cleaner mixed together to create an aroma that didn’t settle well in Gavin’s stomach.</p><p>“Better late than never,” Connor said from the other side of the floral patterned partition. His voice was grated as well, and his low level of humor matched Gavin’s. Though Gavin could barely see Connor’s face though the small wooden window, he could make out enough from his hunched form and pale skin that he was exhausted and facing an impossible internal battle of hope and grief.     </p><p>“What the hell are you doing here, Father?” Gavin asked quietly. “You need to get some rest.” He shifted in his seat, the solid wood creaking as he moved. “Working yourself like this isn’t going to help. Who the hell comes to confession at 0300?”</p><p>“They still haven’t found him?” Connor asked instead of answering Gavin. “Nothing yet?”</p><p>Gavin forced down the grief and nausea and shook his head before he remembered Connor might not be able to see him clear enough. “No,” he said, his voice deep and sadder than he intended to reveal, but it couldn’t be helped. Connor still might have hope, that was his job, but Gavin couldn’t find a shred of the same inside to even pretend. </p><p>He had spent the last three hours going from the medbay, to Fowler’s office, then to Allen’s and North’s office to discuss the disaster. He had laid out how the investigation had led them to the facility, and confirmed by security footage, how Zlatko attacked when they unexpectedly cornered him. </p><p>Allen and North tore Gavin to pieces over the destruction of their property and needing a scapegoat for their anger. Gavin just let them, unable to scrounge up any energy to defend himself. Captain Fowler, ever the level-headed member of any conversation, had come to Gavin’s defense, and settled the two furious owners before they could personally jettison Gavin into the abyss.</p><p>When they exited the meeting, Fowler had just clasped Gavin on the shoulder, gave him a sympathetic shake of his head, and then quietly told him to get some goddamned rest.</p><p>He went straight in search of Connor.</p><p>He wasn’t surprised to find the priest in the place he felt most at peace, his sanctuary, his beloved church. Saint Mary’s was the congregation Connor presided over in the Omnis sector of Jericho, nestled between a Jewish Synagogue and a Shinto Shrine, comfortably placed among an array of other houses of worship dotted along this sector. The church itself was small and modest, and on the inside displayed the traditional layout of pews, altar and stained glass windows depicting the story of Jesus’ last few days alive. All these were the only witnesses to his and Connor’s conversation.</p><p>Gavin had found Connor quietly contemplating or praying or whatever he did when he was alone in a confessional box, waiting for someone to unload their troubles on a well-meaning ear.</p><p>And though Gavin knew he should let Connor mourn in peace, he just...really didn’t want to be alone right then.</p><p>He heard Connor stand and open the door to his side of the confessional, then walk over and open Gavin’s door. Soon they were face to face, and Gavin noticed that Connor had changed out of his singed, smoke stained cassock and was dressed in simple black clerical clothing. Gavin had also hit the fresher and changed into some plain-clothes as well before heading to Saint Mary’s, but the scent of chemicals and heat still lingered fresh in their shared memories.</p><p>Gavin raised an expectant eyebrow at the priest.</p><p>In response, Connor tilted his head towards the exit of the church. “Let’s go have a drink.”</p>
<hr/><p>Gavin had never been inside Connor’s unit before. He hadn’t ever had a reason to, and truthfully the living space was not what he had expected.</p><p>Instead of a bare bones, Spartan style he thought a man of the cloth would choose to reside in, his unit was surprisingly homey and comfortably welcoming with the lingering scent of warm, home cooked meals, roaring fires and chilled brandy. The space was larger than Gavin’s, mostly because Connor was able to trade up to a double when his brother moved in with him. The entrance opened to a large seating area with a small couch, two individual chairs, and a table in between all three. A small kitchenette was tucked to the side beside a small eating area, and Gavin could see the closed door that would open to a hallway that held the bedrooms and refresher. </p><p>Small touches of personality were noticeable in different corners and locations around the unit. An old fashioned gas fireplace lined one of the walls, a luxury Gavin had never seen in person before, and a chessboard half-way through a match sat quietly on the table by the couch. </p><p>There were few pictures on the wall, one of two small white children, both boys, and one of a small home in a clearing during winter. A larger frame held a picture of four people smiling at the camera, a stocky black man with soft eyes, a black woman with a careful smile and knowing eyes, and in the middle a blond haired, blue-eyed white woman hugging a dark haired young white girl around the age of 8. The picture rested in a simple silver frame on the mantle above the fireplace, nestled between some old half-used candles, a wooden box that read <em>Chesterson’s Fine Cigars</em> and a statue of an older woman dressed in red robes holding a child. </p><p>Very little else decorated the room, but Gavin’s eyes soon landed on a tan and blue tattersall plaid blanket hanging off the back of the comfy, welcoming couch, and for a gut-punching moment Gavin wondered if it belonged to Nines. If he touched it, brought it to his face, would the man’s scent linger on his fingers like his presence was lingering in his mind?</p><p>“How much do you know about myself, and my brother?” Connor asked, suddenly beside Gavin. </p><p>Gavin shook his thoughts away and turned to see Connor holding out a small tumbler of amber liquid, the musky scent of whisky wafting into the air between them.</p><p>He took the cool glass in his hand and went to sit on the chair Connor had gestured towards with his free hand. </p><p>“Not much,” Gavin answered truthfully. He took a tentative sip of the whisky, and held back an appreciative whistle at how smooth the aftertaste was before it trickled down his throat. He had never tasted a premium spirit before, instead he had only choked down brews that were barely better than the fuel powering this ship.</p><p>Connor caught Gavin’s surprised look at the taste and then gave him a soft smile. “A gift from an old colleague of my brothers’. They worked a few...jobs together after Nines’ finished his term in the air-force. I try not to indulge too much, but it makes me think of him.”</p><p>Gavin nodded and, not knowing what else to say, rolled the glass tumbler between his palms, his throat tight with emotions he couldn’t name.</p><p>“Do you know how Nines got his name?” Connor asked from where he sat in a chair across from Gavin. He leaned back and placed the tumbler on the arm of the chair, idly tracing its rim like he was having a casual conversion, but his eyes were steady and sharp on Gavin’s, reading his movements and tone. </p><p>It didn’t take much for Gavin to hold back a snide remark about Nines’ dick, sex jokes being an old defensive habit he often utilized when in an uncomfortable situation, but instead he just shook his head and stayed silent. This wasn’t the time or place, and he had a feeling Connor was about to divulge information he wasn’t used to sharing.</p><p>Connor regarded Gavin for a moment longer after he had answered with a shake of his head. “I think Nines and myself have more in common with you than you initially realize, Commander.”</p><p>Gavin doubted that, but he decided to humor the man who was sharing his delicious whisky and said, “Sure.”</p><p>“Nines’ name was his designation at the orphanage where we grew up,” Connor said quietly, looking down at his hand tenting the top of the glass. “Mine was Eight, you see, being the eldest, and therefore my younger brother became Nine, eventually Nines. There were a group of eleven children on our transport who arrived with us to the group home. Saint Anne’s Home for the Wayward, it was called. Our names were erased to make it easier on the caretakers who managed us.”</p><p>Surprise, and an uncomfortable, all-too familiar knot of unease popped into Gavin’s chest like he’d been struck by a blaster. He stared at Connor, unsure what to say, despite knowing all too well what they had gone through. </p><p>Connor raised his eyes to meet Gavin’s, and he quietly continued, “I remembered Connor was my original name, so when we were eventually adopted by the Stern family I chose to take that back. Nines, however, never wanted to go back to his older name. He kept his new name as a reminder of where he had been, to not let him forget his origins, to keep him grounded. Though he does accept that our adoptive mother prefers to call him by a more socially acceptable name.” That last bit he smiled gently at, like it was a private joke he didn’t intend to share.</p><p>Just as Gavin began to wonder what that name was, Connor quietly asked, “Was Gavin your original name?”</p><p>Gavin couldn’t hold Connor’s gaze any longer, and looked back down at the glass in his hands, pinpricks of the fluorescent light above glistening in the amber liquid. </p><p>He gave Connor the barest nod, then quickly threw back the drink, letting the burn push back the emotions threatening to close his throat up tight. He practically slammed the glass on the table, causing the chess pieces to rattle in their squares, and then stood. “Why are you telling me this?”</p><p>Unfazed by Gavin’s dramatic actions, Connor kept his voice even as he answered, “So you can understand Nines a bit better, why he is the way he is.” He drained his glass well, then placed it much more gently on the table before he stood and walked over to the fireplace. He picked up the picture of the four people, then walked back over to Gavin.</p><p>“This is Tens, whom we call Chris, and Three, named Lucy. The woman in the middle was Fours, now Kara. She and the two others were adopted along with myself and Nines from the orphanage. You see, Amanda Stern, our adopted mother, didn’t have any children of her own, and never intended to marry. She comes from a wealthy family, and had no intention of sharing with anyone how that wealth was to be managed. However, she had obligations to many different factions across the quadrants to maintain the Stern reputation, and she adopted us all to fulfill those allyships.”</p><p>Gavin looked down at the four people, but his eyes were focused on the woman, Kara. Though she was facing the camera, it was evident she was the happiest of the group, her wide smile no doubt originating from the equally jubilant child embracing her with small arms wrapped gently around her neck.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Gavin asked quietly, looking back up at Connor.</p><p>Connor folded his arms. “The Stern family has garnered and bartered for favor and value with religious, military, economic, and science and tech fields for centuries. Stern children were expected to join those trades to not only to add an educated employee to the ranks, but to also provide the company the good graces of a Stern name. So, for example, I was assigned an apprenticeship for the New Galactic Diocese, and Nines was destined for a career in the Air Command Space Force.” He paused and then nodded towards the woman Gavin had been focused on. “Kara was put in charge of managing the Stern estates, and having produced an heir makes her first in line to inherit part of the Stern Trust, though Chris is currently courting a lovely woman who I believe will be joining our family within the next few years.”</p><p>He pointed towards the picture. “Chris and Lucy work with our mother running and managing the Stern businesses across the quadrants, and they’ve done quite well at it.”</p><p>“That,” Gavin began and then shook his head. “I feel like I should say messed up, but I don’t even know how to begin unpacking that.”</p><p>“We were blessed in some ways, and unfortunate in many others that needn’t be detailed right now.” Connor lowered his voice so that it was gentle, and full of compassion. “We call Amanda our mother, and in a certain way she did give us new lives, but it was a duel-trade. We are all a family, we made that decision amongst ourselves years ago to choose that path, but like so many things in life, that path was not a traditional one.”</p><p>“I’ll say,” Gavin muttered.</p><p>“I know you are aware of what military life is like, Commander. It has little luxuries and even less room for joy and compassion. When we came of age for apprenticeships, my siblings and I were all separated, forced to enter our respective trades, and Nines went straight into the air force academy. From there he led a hard life and did hard things that left marks on his soul nothing can erase. But he and I made a pact that when he could leave we would be reunited.”</p><p>He paused to swallow down the grief welling up in his eyes before he continued. “That’s all we ever wanted, was to be a family again. I thought him traveling and seeing the galaxy and all the things it has to offer would make him change his mind, but it never did.” He let out a soft, disbelieving laugh. “Against all odds, he came back, and when he took a position here, he was finally able to do something he had never been able to do before. Choose how to live his life.”</p><p>Grief wound itself up into Gavin’s chest again, and he slowly gave Connor back the picture so he could look away, not wanting the priest to see how much that statement affected him.</p><p>“Thanks for the backstory,” Gavin muttered, hating how wrecked with emotion his voice sounded. “But...does it even matter now?” He didn’t want to state the obvious, that Nines was most likely gone now, but it was hard to imagine any other outcome for the man.</p><p>Slowly, Connor replaced the picture of his siblings back onto the mantle. “Even as a child, my brother was...resourceful. He survived a great many difficult things in his life, and I choose to believe he could have survived this as well.” </p><p>“I know you think it’s foolish of me to hope against hope, but well, my life revolves around believing in miracles, and helping others believe in them too.” He gave Gavin a small smile followed by an even smaller shrug. “Just, now, I have to believe in another one.” </p><p>Gavin frowned, looking down at his hands. “Wish I could have that kind of faith, Father. But, I’ve been around enough damage in life though to know it’s not something I’ve got in me.”</p><p>Connor’s smile turned sad, and he placed a hand softly onto Gavin’s shoulder. “How about I believe for the both of us then?”</p>
<hr/><p>A trail of fire laced pain through Nines’ side, and he awoke.</p><p>“It’s alright. Lay still, you’re safe.”</p><p>Concerned blue eyes met his own, and it took a few moments for Nines’ dried and irritated eyes from too much smoke to focus on who was speaking to him. He was in a small bedroom, barely big enough for the cot he was lying on, and no pictures or shelves decorated the walls. Only a doorway and a small table beside his bed. </p><p>Gently, the man sitting on the bed beside him used his free hand to place it on the back of Nines’ hand that was grasping tightly onto his wrist holding a wet cloth. As he slowly pried it away, Nines realized he had reached out in his stupor to grab the man, believing he was being attacked. He quickly drew his hand away, slightly ashamed at what he had done.  </p><p>“Simon,” he tried to say, but before he could finish sounding out the word, his lungs revolted, causing him to painfully cough up the smoke that had assaulted his airways and chest. Nines curled into himself, his chest feeling like it was collapsing as he gasped in for air between his body seizing as it tried to expel the damage done to it.</p><p>“Don’t hold back, just let it out,” Simon whispered, helplessly watching him with sympathy. “It’ll hurt worse if you don’t get that smoke out.”</p><p>A minute later, Nines was able to breathe in more air than coughing out smoke, and in between painful little gasps, he whispered, “Connor? Gavin?”</p><p>“They’re safe,” Simon said. “I saw them get out before the worst of it started.”</p><p>Nines nodded, relieved, and couldn’t hold back another coughing fit.</p><p>Before Simon could say anything else, another voice spoke out his name, “Simon.”</p><p>Blearily, Nines looked up and saw a man standing in the doorway of the small bedroom, his arms crossed and his stance tense. He was around Simon’s height and shared the same sharp blue eyes, and both were dressed in the similar baggy, dark tan factory jumpsuits indicating which sector they reported to in Central’s factory.</p><p>But the similarities ended there. The man was dark skinned and short haired, with a serious face and an untrusting look in his eyes. There was little of Simon’s softness to be found as he regarded Nines’ warily, but he didn’t seem outwardly hostile to his presence either.</p><p>“You okay?” The man said to Simon, his eyes focused on where Nines’ had grasped his wrist. There was a gentle timbre in his voice, a hint of concern.at the faint bruise forming against the pale skin. </p><p>Simon nodded, gently touching his wrist before a flash of red dotted the apples of his cheeks. “I’m fine, Markus. It was an accident. He didn’t hurt me.”</p><p>Markus.</p><p>Nines sat up a bit, regarding the potentially dangerous man he had been looking for. “You’re Markus,” he said dumbly, his mind still struggling to focus after his ordeal.</p><p>Markus shifted his gaze from his husband’s to Nines, and that softness dissipated when he said, “And you’re Father Stern’s brother, Nines. While you recovered, Simon...brought me up to speed on what’s going on. I understand people have been looking for me. Commander Reed specifically.”</p><p>Nines remained silent, defiantly waiting for Markus to make the next move.</p><p>Shifting so that his arms fell by his side, Markus nodded towards the small table beside the bed where a pitcher and glass were placed. “Drink some water and, when you have the strength, get dressed. When you’re feeling up to it, meet us out in the main room. Sounds like you and I need to have a discussion.” He took a small step back out of the doorway and pointedly looked at Simon.</p><p>Simon just nodded and stood, glancing at Nines briefly before he walked out of the room. Markus followed, shutting the door gently behind him.</p><p>Well that was...unexpected.</p><p>Wincing and gritting his teeth, Nines slowly maneuvered himself so that he was sitting up on the cot, his bare feet touching the cold cement floor. Gently he inspected his naked torso, his pants mercifully still on, and felt the bandages wrapped around his arms and ribs, the faint scent of bacta-ointment emanating from beneath the material. </p><p>Burns littered his body like he had been mangled by the fire, and bruises he wasn’t sure how he sustained told a story of what he endured when unconscious. His right arm was still damp from Simon’s attempts to clean him of the soot and dirt layered on his skin, and his throat constricted with dryness, a desperate plea for water.</p><p>He drank, taking small sips despite wanting to guzzle the entire pitcher of cool liquid. When his head stopped spinning and he could move and breathe without the room tilting, he stood and slid on his black turtleneck folded neatly at the end of the bed. The fabric still stank of burning metal and fumes, but he ignored the wretched scents so he could move forward with finding his way back to the others.</p><p>As his mind spun to catch up from his slow movements, he began to remember the incident in the factory; the attack, the fire, how he escaped...</p><p>Kissing Gavin.</p><p>“Hell,” Nines whispered and brought the palms of his hands up to his eyes. He had kissed Gavin, and damn if he didn’t want to again. He had been desperate to make love to Gavin since he first entered the Commander’s office a month ago, but when Gavin rebuked his advances he told himself that should have been the end of it.</p><p>But when Gavin had been nearly killed by Zlatko, and he finally had Gavin in his arms...he couldn’t stop himself. He had nearly lost Gavin, and when he took his chance and Gavin didn’t pushed him away, had looked up at him with awe and wanting, that told him that their business together was far from over.</p><p>He just had to get back to him, and to do that, he had to deal with Markus first.  </p><p>He looked around for his communicator wristlet, but didn’t see it anywhere. He stood and took in a few slow breaths to steady himself, then opened the door. He walked down a short door-less hallway, listening to hushed voices in the distance, before reaching a set of double doors. He pushed them open, then stopped short in surprise. </p><p>It was a bar, dimly lit and empty. Nines assumed it was a local-watering hole for factory workers, given the simplistic design and basic layout. A bar lined with stools wrapped around a circular counter in the middle of the room, and the alcoves and tables took up the rest of the open space in the building. The décor was basic, done up in practical greys, browns and blacks. Nines could make out where pieces of recycled or reused ship parts were placed to be repurposed as a door here or a table there.  </p><p>Nines did, however, very much notice the card table off in the side corner.</p><p>“Sorry the accommodations weren’t better for your recovery,” Markus said as he walked from the bar to the table in the middle of the room. He had a bottle of whisky in one hand, three tumblers in the other. “We use that back room as a sober-up space for guys who just aren’t going to make it back to their units without a cooling down period.” He nodded towards the card table at the other end of the bar, a few lone low-value poker chips and some discarded red Rider Back cards were scattered on the soft green surface. “You play?”</p><p>That was...an understatement. Since his early days training to become a pilot, Nines had gradually educated himself on the variable layers of a managing deck of cards like a set of hands becoming intimately familiar with a lover’s body. The Kings, Queens, Jacks and Jokers and their numerical brethren went from being Nines’ constant companions during long intervals of downtime between training, to life-saving distractions in-between lulls from the horrors of war, to the occasional allies in high-stakes games that funded some...projects he had become involved in after retiring from the air force. </p><p>“Yes,” Nines said after a moment. “I play.”</p><p>The door to the front of the bar opened and Simon walked in holding a small plastic box under one arm. He smiled when he saw Nines. “You’re up. That’s a good sign.” He gestured to an open chair at the table Markus was sliding into. “Please, have a seat. We shut down for the night to give ourselves some privacy.”</p><p>“I’d hate for you to lose business on my account,” Nines said smoothly as he sat, and watched as Markus poured the whisky into Simon’s glass first before filling Nines, and lastly himself.</p><p>“Not at all,” Simon said, taking his own seat next to Markus and wrapped his hands loosely around the glass. “After that fire most of our regulars have been quarantined to their units while the whole thing is investigated. We weren’t expecting many people tonight anyway.”</p><p>Markus picked up the glass tumbler and said, “To defying death.”</p><p>Nines picked up his own glass, weighing how much the liquid would burn his already damaged throat, and said, “I’d hardly say I was the one doing the defying.” He turned to Simon. “That was you on the bridge in the gas mask, wasn’t it?”</p><p>Markus’ face turned serious, obviously not pleased about Simon risking himself. </p><p>Simon studied his drink for a moment before lifting his eyes and nodding. “I never would have been able to forgive myself if something had happened to you and I could have helped. Connor is...a good friend. And he’s spoken of you often.” He shifted before continuing. “I haven’t informed him yet that you’re alive. I wanted to, but Markus and I thought it better to speak with you first.”</p><p>Nines tensed, forcing himself from demanding a communicator to immediately contact his brother. But their actions, their cautious wording, convinced Nines that they were somehow involved with what was going on, and pushing too hard might cause them to retreat.</p><p>“Thank you, for saving me,” he instead said. “And not to sound ungrateful, but I would very much like to contact my brother to let him know I’m alive, so if we could move this along?”</p><p>Markus nodded and placed the glass back on the table before he spoke. “Fine by me. As I said, Commander Reed was looking for me?”</p><p>Nines nodded, and remained silent, not sure how much the man knew.</p><p>“He thinks I’m behind the Kaminski murders, doesn’t he?”</p><p>Well, he apparently knew quite a bit.</p><p>“It’s an approach he’s considering,” Nines hedged. “We’re almost certain Zlatko, who you know as Anton, was the one pulling the trigger, so to speak. What we were also looking for is who bank-rolled Zlatko into committing the crime.”</p><p>“Funny, a priest and his brother becoming involved in a murder mystery,” Markus said, sitting back in his chair. “Not something you see every day.”</p><p>“But,” he continued, “we’re all pretty familiar with your brother’s hobby. He likes to help people out, and he’s done a lot of good for the people of Jericho. Not to mention he’s got some serious pull with the Captain, and now apparently he’s cozied up to Reed as well.”</p><p>Nines silently bristled at the thought of anyone cozying up to Reed, even if the thought of Connor doing the cozying was ridiculous, but he remained silent. </p><p>“Markus isn’t involved in what happened to Kaminski and his men,” Simon pleaded, his eyes somber with worry. “I know you think that because we worked with Zlatko he could be involved, but it’s not true.”</p><p>“But you have had problems with Kaminski before, or at least his machinery,” Nines said. “Reed had mentioned there have been some...sabotages.”</p><p>Simon looked back down at his glass, but Markus just smiled slightly, his eyes almost hinting at enjoying what little Nines seemed to know about the situation.</p><p>Markus picked up a card on the table and twisted it between his fingers so Nines could see the inside, a King of Spades. “This card is my favorite one in the deck. Wanna know why?”</p><p>Nines held back a sigh. “Indulge me, but make it quick, please.”</p><p>Smirking, Markus said, “Because even though a spade in a deck of cards is supposed to represent a medieval weapon, most people once knew a spade as a sort of shovel, an old planet-side tool used by laborers.” He looked at the card before turning to Nines. “I like the juxtaposition, a King being forever stamped with the tool of his people.”</p><p>He tapped the corner of the card onto the table. “Tell me, have you ever heard of a Luddite?” Markus asked.</p><p>Simon’s head shot up and he looked at the man beside him. “Markus,” he hissed, his admonishment tinged with fear and surprise.</p><p>Nines kept his gaze towards Markus. “No. I’m not familiar with the term.”</p><p>“It’s an old planet-side term originating from centuries ago. It was what a group of men once called themselves when their livelihood was threatened by the rise of machines.” He placed the card down onto the table, face up, adding the King as a newcomer to their conversation. He learned forward and grasped his tumbler, tilting the glass to the side to watch the liquid sway. “Their quest to eradicate technology from their lives was ultimately fruitless, but their attempts did involve getting their hands dirty and attempting some calculated risks.”</p><p>Nines studied the man, and didn’t bother to try to hide his sarcasm when he said, “Are you saying that the Luddites have risen once again within the walls of this weapons facility?”</p><p>Beside Markus, Simon fiddled nervously with his glass, and his throat constricted as he swallowed. His wristlet suddenly began beeping, and he read the message that displayed. He looked at Markus and nodded.</p><p>Markus nodded back, then looked at Nines, though his body still faced Simon’s.</p><p>“Don’t get us wrong. We’re not anti-technology by any means. We just want to earn a honest-living, and live our lives together,” Markus looked at Simon again. He slowly reached out and grasped Simon’s hand, treading their fingers together. </p><p>Simon looked up at Markus, first startled by the unexpected touch, then slowly a soft, loving smile stretched across his face. His whole body melted when he looked at Markus.</p><p>A pang of something unfamiliar twisted at Nines insides when he saw the loving exchange between the two men, and his thoughts bulleted to focus on Gavin before he could stop himself.</p><p>He cleared his throat, not ready to read into that yet, and said, “And you believe Kaminski threatened this?” Nines interrupted. “You realize you’ve just given me a motive for Kaminski’s murder?”</p><p>Markus’ cool eyes found their way back to Nines’ and with his free hand he pushed the small box Simon had brought to the table towards him. “Open it.”</p><p>Cautiously, Nines lifted the box and raised an eyebrow in surprise. “My communicator.”</p><p>As Nines lifted it up to inspect it, Markus said, “Simon took it to a tech we work with to fix it up. It got damaged a bit in the fire. I also asked him upload some information about Kaminski we recently...acquired.”</p><p>Nines heard the silent ‘stole’ but didn’t ask him to elaborate.</p><p>“Examine the data, and you’ll soon see why we did what we had to do to protect ourselves.”</p><p>Nines reattached the wristlet and said, “The saboteurs I’m not worried about. It’s the interest in the murders that you should be trying to extricate yourselves from.” </p><p>The front door to the bar began vibrating as someone knocked loudly against it, and Simon got up to walk to the panel beside the door. He pressed his palm to unlock it, and then stepped back as the door opened, revealing two men Nines didn’t recognize, wearing the same dark, tan jumpsuits as Simon and Markus.</p><p>Between them was a large box they held at each end, and slowly they walked into the room, placing the box down on the ground beside the table. It landed with a heavy thud, its contents easily weighing over 100 pounds.</p><p>Nines tensed at the newcomers and their baggage, and quickly shifted in his seat to an easy position to begin defending himself if he needed.</p><p>“You want me to exonerate myself from Kaminski’s murder?” Markus said casually as he watched the two men enter. “Then let me ask you, if I hired Zlatko as my trigger man,” he gestured towards the box, “why would I hand deliver him to you?”</p><p>Confused, Nines turned to the box, and his mouth dropped in shock as the box began shaking back and forth, and from inside he heard a loud, angry growl before a voice yelled, “You motherfuckers! Let me out!” </p>
<hr/><p>The transport doors to the brig opened and Gavin stepped out into the corridor, taking a sharp left and refastening his wristlet communicator. He had just left the med bay after checking in with the doctor on Chloe’s condition, stable and slowly improving, but was interrupted by a transmit from Fowler telling him to report to the ship’s holding cells asap.</p><p>His mind was still processing his recent conversation with Connor as the last remnants of their shared whisky burned away the complicated emotions he had been feeling. Tina Chen, who had taken over overseeing the destruction of the munitions factory, had continued to report there was no sign of Nines.</p><p>Connor may have hope, but Gavin had been around death and destruction long enough to know when the cards were stacked just too damn high to trust in any other outcome.</p><p>So when the doors slid open to the office belonging to the security officer who managed the brig, and found Fowler and Nines standing there, talking and laughing, shock sucker-punched him square in the chest, leaving him just as breathless as he was speechless.</p><p>Nines looked rough, his clothes were singed and torn, and his face and hands were raw with irritation and soot left over from the fire. But he stood in his usual ram-rod stance with his hands clasped behind his back. He even had a small smirk on his face from whatever Fowler had said to him before Gavin arrived.</p><p>Gavin knew his mouth was hanging open in surprise, but he couldn’t form anything resembling a coherent thought. He didn’t know if he wanted to deck the man or draw him into his arms and kiss him senseless. Again.</p><p>Neither action was about to happen, but still, his mind raged on.</p><p>“Reed,” Fowler said and slowly walked over to sit on the other side of the desk, grunting with effort. He looked almost as haggard as Nines, but it was from exhaustion and stress from the last two days. Gavin couldn’t blame him. </p><p>“I was just sharing with Nines here how I figured he got his name,” Fowler continued as he sat. “He’s a goddamn cat, is what he is. Nine lives and all.” He gestured for Nines to sit in the chair across from him. “How you survived that blast is beyond me.”</p><p>Nines eyes rested on Fowler for a moment to acknowledge his amusement at his comment, then turned to Gavin, his face shifting into something Gavin couldn’t read. His clasped hands fell away to rest beside his hips, and his hands slowly clenched shut, as if Nines’ was trying to stop himself from doing something  </p><p>“Commander,” Nines said slowly, smoothly, as if the last time they had seen each other didn’t involve them sharing a kiss that had seared itself into Gavin’s soul. “I’m glad to see you made it out okay.” He sounded sincere, and Gavin could swear that Nines seemed to be raking his eyes over his body, looking for signs of injuries.</p><p>Shaking his head a bit, Gavin tried to focus, to put together anything to say, when the doors to the office opened behind him.</p><p>“Nines!” Connor’s voice echoed throughout the room. </p><p>Gavin turned to see Connor dart into the room, and suddenly the two brothers were embracing. Nines grasped onto Connor tight, his eyes shut with relief and a hand wrapped around the back of his neck. Connor also held onto his brother just as tightly, grasping his tattered fabric tightly in his fists.  </p><p>“You’re alive,” Connor said after a few moments, breathless as he pulled back to look over his brother’s ragged form, his eyes welling up. He sniffed and ran a hand across his red eyes. “And you stink.”</p><p>Nines laughed and squeezed his brother’s shoulders, his own eyes wet but happy. “Then it’s a good thing your chores involve the laundry.”</p><p>Gavin shifted from where he stood, feeling like he was intruding on an intimate moment between the two brothers. He was relieved when Fowler said, “As touching as this reunion is, I need to hit pause.” He tapped at the holo-screen in front of him and turned it around so it faced the three men. “Nines didn’t exactly return from the dead empty handed.”</p><p>Gavin practically launched himself towards the desk. The holo-screen displayed a man sitting on a holding cell, his annoyed face clearly in view. </p><p>“That’s Zlatko!” Gavin turned to face Nines. “How in the hell-?”</p><p>“A gift from the Luddites hoping to exonerate themselves as suspects in the case,” Nines explained. He didn’t miss the way Connor tensed when Nines spoke, and how he remained silent afterwards. “They caught him trying to steal a cruiser to sneak out of the station.”</p><p>“It’s a damn interesting power-move, because Nines brought back some more information that would have given those crazy rabble-rousers even more of a reason to off Kaminski.” He tapped at the desk, and the holo-screen changed to display new data.</p><p>“Oh,” Gavin said after a few moments of reading the data. “Oh shit.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Fowler said, leaning back in the chair dejectedly. “Oh shit is right.”  </p>
<hr/><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Please be sure to check out the lovely art that will accompany this story by the very talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a></p><p>Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated!</p><p>Upcoming chapters posting dates are: </p><p>Chapter 7: December 12<br/>Chapter 8: December 16<br/>Chapter 9: December 20<br/></p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>The trees were as tall as mountains, the rocks as wide as tidal waves. Shadows from twin moons battling for mere ounces of space in the inky black sky emitted the only ribbons of light for miles, leaving pockets of darkness for creatures to nestle in wait. </p><p>Danger surrounded Gavin as he stepped through the mammoth forest, his whisper soft footsteps against sandpaper dirt and back arching roots were the only sound echoing his slow and even breathing, a tandem dance separated from his mind and eyes sharp focus on all that was and wasn’t hidden around him.</p><p>The blaster was a familiar weight in his hands, a comforting prop to focus his slow, calculated movements as he attempted to sense danger before it sensed him. He breathed in the crisp air, letting the scent of foliage and damp earth settle in his lungs before breathing it all steadily back out.</p><p>A small click to his right that could easily be mistaken as branch breaking under the weight of itself, or a small animal scurrying for shelter, instead gave him the signal he had been waiting for.  </p><p>Turning towards the noise, Gavin saw bogeys the size and shape of grown men shrouded head to toe in complete darkness leapt from behind tree trunks the size of boulders, coming at Gavin with rapid speed and violence in their stride. Their piercing screams echoed into the wide and empty darkness, feral calls of hunger desperate to be stated. </p><p>With practiced grace, his blaster picked the first charging wave clean off, kill-shots neatly marking each hit like magnets drawn to their halves. He kept his breathing even, and only took small steps backwards to maintain his pace and spacing from the danger. But once the creatures’ fallen bodies littered the forest floor like a new layer, another group waiting in the back soon charged forward, hungry for their chance.</p><p>Knowing he was running low on ammo, Gavin reached for a new magazine to connect to his blaster, but before he could touch the metal hanging at his side, a sharp force plowed into him from behind, knocking him to the ground so hard he saw stars die behind his eyes.        </p><p>  Swearing, Gavin quickly rolled onto his back and took in the faceless creature above, its strong arms raised high to deliver crushing blows to its prey below.</p><p>Gavin didn’t give it a chance. With a well-practiced move he grabbed the blade sheathed against his leg and pulled it out quick and effortlessly before sinking it cleanly into the creature’s stomach. </p><p>A howl of pain erupted from the creature’s throat as it looked to the moon for the last time. Gavin pushed himself up and off the heavy darkness before crouching low to see how far the other hostiles had crept towards him.</p><p>Five that Gavin could see were snarling and skulking near to the ground, assessing him and his weapon as the smell of their fallen comrade’s blood soaked the dirt around its still body.   </p><p>Gavin was never the type to wait for the first strike, he had always preferred to sink his fist into hard bone and bruised flesh first. He knew what he needed to do to survive; what path his feet needed to take, what motions his hands needed to follow.</p><p>It was his mind that wouldn’t cooperate. It wouldn't settle, and focus, and pay attention to the danger in front of him.</p><p>Instead, his thoughts kept pulling away from the danger around him and instead trek back to the conversation he had just left an hour ago.</p><p>He had stood to the side, watching silently as Fowler sat with North and Allen in their spacious, exuberant office. Soft white couch cushions blended well with the dark real oak that made up the floors and desks, and the windows were displaying digital simulations of clear blue skies above mountain ranges and flowing rivers.  </p><p>Fowler had his hand out, showing the two the data Nines had given him. “You were planning on replacing all of Central’s factory workers with...goddamn robots?”</p><p>“You make it sound worse than it is,” North tried to explain. “They’re androids, complete with autonomy and enough AI to help keep the station running more efficiently for a fraction of the cost. We could triple the amount of product and save huge credits on housing costs. We’d be the only factory in this quadrant running at almost 90 percent human free.” She shook her head. “It’s nothing personal against the workers, Captain. It’s just business.”</p><p>“Not that it matters a damn anymore,” Allen sneered and reached for his glass on the table in front of him. Gavin could tell by his red eyes, pallor complexion and gritty hair that the container hadn’t spent much time empty. </p><p>“With Kaminski gone the project is scrapped. He was the only one who could spear-head the whole damn thing, and whatever he did to make those things work, died with him.” He drained his glass and stood up fast, faltered unsteadily for a moment, then slowly walked over to the small bar at the far end of the office. Before he reached for the decanter, he turned and pointed to Gavin. “That Zlatko guy, did he confirm that the Luddites or whatever the hell they’re called hired him?”</p><p>“It’s unlikely,” Gavin said, his hands tucked into the small of his back. For a moment he wondered just how much like Nines he must have looked like. “Between our interrogation and looking into his data, nothing revealed that he ever had direct contact with any known members of the group.”  </p><p>Allen scoffed. “So the fuck what. They could have still hired him.”</p><p>Gavin shook his head. “The Luddites only came across this information five days ago, but according to his financial data we were able to uncover that the first half of Zlatko’s payment was sent to him over a month ago. It pretty much proves that whoever wanted Mr. Kaminski dead was working on this for a while.” He paused to let the others consider that information before he continued. “The Luddites could have wanted Elijah killed, and maybe they would have tried at some point in the future after finding out about this, but their MO has always been small time sabotages to mess with Kaminski’s new machinery when they’d find out it was unsafe or taking away people’s jobs. Hiring an assassin to take Mr. Kaminski out seems too big a next step for what they were doing.”</p><p>Allen slammed the decanter down hard after filling his glass. “Fine. They’re fucking angels. Then who the hell wanted him dead?”</p><p>Unfazed, Gavin continued. “We haven’t narrowed down anyone new yet, but the transmits we found in Zlatko’s datapad between him and his handler were heavily cloaked, so they either had or hired someone with the ability to remain untraceable. That also suggests they weren’t a financially struggling factory worker.” </p><p>He watched as Allen swore loudly and walked over to his desk before he unsteadily sat down in his office chair, taking another sip of his drink. </p><p>“Unfortunately, Kaminski ran with some pretty well-funded circles. He could have pissed anyone off at any time,” North said from where she sat, looking at Gavin. </p><p>Gavin nodded. “Since Zlatko is from off-site, anyone could have chosen this facility if they knew Kaminski was coming here, which means it was someone who had knowledge of his itinerary, or bribed someone in his office to give it to him.”</p><p>Fowler sighed and stood, glancing at the sulking Allen before turning back to North and Gavin. “I spoke with the med-tech in Chloe’s care earlier today. They’re expecting to wake her up from her coma later tonight. We’ll need to give her a few hours, but once she’s awake, Gavin can speak with her and hopefully get her permission to gain access to Kaminski’s office to look over their data and transmits.”</p><p>And that was how they had left it, Gavin’s next chance to poke and prod this mystery forward rested on the hope of a half-dead widow and one more crack at Zlatko before he was turned over the Galactic Enforcement Commissioners.</p><p>So, he went where he always did when he needed time to reset, a combat simulator, and going through the motions of tapping into his planet-side training always helped him blow off steam and refocus.</p><p>He was just where he wanted to be, away from the frustrations of his job, and his confusing feelings for Nines. Instead, five creatures circled Gavin, each ready to take their chance in tearing him to pieces.</p><p>And Gavin loved it.</p><p>“Let’s fucking do this,” he muttered eyeing all of them, and took a step forward.</p><p>The creatures lunged.</p><p>Gavin lunged back even harder.</p>
<hr/><p>“Interesting choice of combat sim. I should have pegged you for a melee lover. I’m a more long range fighter myself, but each combat module has its pluses and minuses I assume.”  </p><p>Ten minutes later, from where he was half-crouching on the floor, Gavin looked up and blinked in surprise. Nines stood at the edge of the mat, his face amused and stance relaxed, his hands nestled their usual spot against the small of his back. His clothes looked clean and his face and body had recently spent time in the ‘fresher.</p><p>Nines glanced casually down at the dead creatures spread out around him, all slain by Gavin’s trembling hands, the last one with a hunting knife in its chest. The sim flickered then shut-down, revealing a large empty room with white lines along its dark walls, floor and ceiling used to create the imaginary realm.</p><p>“The hell you doing here?” Gavin said as he slowly stood up, his breathing hard and ragged. Though it was only a simulation, Gavin had run the trial on the highest setting, and had felt every blow he had received, and every hit he had given back. His body ached and his lungs burned from the exertion and adrenaline pumping through his body, eager to continue.</p><p>Instead of answering Gavin’s question, Nines asked, “You were a mucker, weren’t you?”</p><p>Unable to stop himself from bristling a bit at the old nickname given to his military branch for their constant tours involving exploring and invading barren, mud-ridden planets, Gavin gritted his teeth and turned away. He didn’t necessarily mind being called that by other troops sharing the same level of service as his, they knew the score and had lived through it themselves, but someone from a higher station like Nines’, calling him that was often meant as derogatory. A standard of service that was considered beneath them.</p><p>“Don’t worry, it’s nothing you can catch,” Gavin muttered, his eyes focused on unlacing his gloves. He heard Nines step closer to him, and when he looked up the imposing man was suddenly right in front of him.</p><p>He hadn’t expected Nines to be so close. He opened his mouth to tell him to take a step back, but his words hung unsaid on his tongue when Nines suddenly reached out and gently grasped his hands to begin unstrapping the gloves.</p><p>Confused, Gavin was about to jerk his hands away when Nines began to speak.</p><p>“I apologize for bringing that up. Your time in the service is your business, not mine. And I didn’t come here to fight.” He unthreaded the ties, slow and gentle in a way Gavin never would have expected of him. “I came here because I wanted to thank you for saving Connor when Zlatko attacked us.” He paused to clear his throat. “I’m sure you can understand if anything ever happened to him I wouldn’t…” He trailed off and shook his head, unable to finish.</p><p>Surprised, Gavin let out a small grunt and muttered, “Whatever. He saved me too, so we’re pretty even I guess.”</p><p>Nines looked up at Gavin. “Did he?”</p><p>Shifting uncomfortably, when the second glove slid off of Gavin’s fingers he stepped back and grabbed both gloves from Nines’ hand. His own hands were slightly shaking from how close Nines had been, how soft his touch was. He was on edge, and kept expecting Nines to snap at him, or berate him like he normally did. This quiet, almost normal conversation was new territory, and Gavin didn’t know how to navigate it.</p><p>Gavin took another step back and turned around to pull out a towel from a stand nearby. He twisted it in his hands. “You were cut off from us, because of the fire. I don’t like leaving a man behind, but Connor knew there was no way we could get to you.” He couldn't look at Nines when he spoke, he was too annoyed and raw from the past twenty four hours. He didn’t want to feel for Nines like he did. The man drove him up a damn wall at the best of times.</p><p>And then he had to go and be an asshole and kiss him.   </p><p>Nines was silent as he watched Gavin tuck the gloves into the back pocket of his pants. He let Gavin’s words settle in his mind, dissecting their meanings, then said, “You don’t like leaving a man behind, or you didn’t want to leave me behind?”</p><p>Gavin paused, and his heart thundering in his chest had nothing to do with the grueling workout he had just put himself through. He slowly turned and regarded Nines, and placed his hands on his hips.</p><p>“Don’t flatter yourself, Nines,” Gavin tried, but even he could hear how hollow his words sounded in the empty room. That he had worried about Nines, grieved for him, and, damn it, maybe even <em>cared </em>for him, was so obvious there might as well have been a big-ass neon sign above his head. Instead, he crossed his arms and scoffed at the man. “You think that kiss meant a damn thing? I’m not an idiot. Let me guess, you thought you were going to die so you, what? Took a chance? Fine. Good for you. Hope it made you feel fucking better.”</p><p><em>Cause all it did was make him feel like shit</em>, he thought to himself, not even daring to even try and speak those words. The room suddenly felt too big and empty, and all Gavin wanted to do was grab his shit and leave. The push and pull between them was too hard to follow, and Gavin had no doubt in the end he would end up with a sharp push to the side. </p><p>The space between Gavin and Nines wasn’t close, but Gavin could see Nines’ eyes shift with a small realization, and his lips slowly curled into a small, knowing smirk.</p><p>“The fuck you smiling about?” Gavin snapped, and took a step back when Nines began walking towards him, closing that space. He placed both hands onto Nines’ chest when the man was suddenly right in front of him, sliding his long fingers onto Gavin’s hips, pulling him flush against his body, heat and the promise of pleasure suddenly hanging in the air like a cloud.</p><p>“Nines-” Gavin began, but was promptly cut off.</p><p>“I’m smiling about this,” Nines whispered, then tilted his head and pressed his lips against Gavin’s.</p><p>Gavin froze, his back tensing and his body’s nerves rippling alive with surprise. His mind echoed distant warnings, but he couldn’t make them out over his heart pounding loudly in his ears. </p><p>Nines’ lips were soft and pliant against his own, a contrast to the firm grasp Nines had on his waist that was slowly drawing him in even closer. Nines’ scent once again wrapped itself around Gavin’s senses, and he felt himself reluctantly relax into the touch, his mind at desperate odds with what he so fiercely wanted, but also with what he was so cautious to accept.  </p><p>And yet, he couldn’t stop himself. Being in Nines’ arms, his lips moving deliciously against his own, the feeling was insatiable. When Nines pulled away to bring his eyes up to Gavin’s, assessing his reaction, Gavin’s hands curled into fists, his palms full of Nines’ dark shirt, his body warm and solid against Nines’, and quickly pulled him back in, searing his lips firmly against Nines’ once more.  </p><p>Nines’ responded just as eagerly, devouring Gavin’s kiss, his hands sliding from Gavin’s waist to trail up his back, embracing him firmly. He stepped forward once, then gently pushed Gavin up against a nearby wall. Their bodies were flush against each other, and Nines began a wonderfully slow grind against Gavin, encouraging the man’s desperate clutching against skin and fabric.</p><p>Not wanting to waste any time, Nines slid an inquisitive hand down Gavin’s leg, and the words <em>more</em>, <em>more</em>, <em>more </em>blossomed into Gavin’s mind. He wanted to beg for Nines’ touch, but some semblance of pride held him back. </p><p>Instead, when Nines finally, gently, traced the slight bulge growing inside Gavin’s pants, he bucked into the touch, tearing his mouth away to draw in a desperate breath for air before panting slightly at the electric jolts of pleasure trailing behind Nines’ deft fingers.</p><p>Nines dragged his nose against Gavin’s cheek, then nipped lightly at his jaw before he pressed his lips against Gavin’s neck, kissing at the skin and muscles.  </p><p>“Fuck,” Gavin hissed when Nines opened his hand, then gently palmed at his rock-hard member straining against the fabric. He felt Nines chuckle against his neck, and he shuddered at the feeling, at how close they were. He brought one hand up to grasp at Nines’ solid shoulder, and the other reached forward, conducting his own search.</p><p>Bingo. His hand quickly found Nines own dick, also pushing against the dark pants holding it inside.   </p><p>Nines brought his mouth away from the lovely patch of skin he had been caressing with his tongue to bury his face into the curve of Gavin’s neck, letting out a huff as Gavin’s dragged a gentle knuckle up and down the length of his member, inspecting the size, the girth.</p><p>“Satisfied?” Nines mumbled when his head cleared a fraction enough for him to speak.</p><p>“Hmm,” Gavin grunted as an answer, and Nines just smiled, knowing Gavin was impressed but too damn proud to admit it.</p><p>Pulling back, Nines tilted his head to capture Gavin’s mouth in another searing kiss, the heavy weight of lust now firmly settled on both of their minds. He couldn’t deny that he was now addicted to Gavin’s taste and as their tongues danced against each other, he could swear a hint of tobacco was laced within Gavin’s taste and scent.  </p><p>Desperate for more, Nines began to tug at Gavin’s waistband, the soft, loose fabric made for the simulation room falling away easily at his hips. He didn’t pull back when Gavin’s dick sprang loose, and instead ran his hand slowly, firmly up the length, stopping at the top to drag his thumb against the leaking tip.</p><p>“Fuck, <em>fuck</em>,” Gavin swore and tore his mouth away from Nines’ at that last touch as pleasure ran a current through his body. He nipped quickly and fiercely at Nines’ jaw as he just as eagerly grabbed the button and zipper of Nines’ pants, working with trembling hands to undo each clasp to gain access to Nines’ body. He faltered once when Nines, smiling slightly at Gavin’s eager movements, couldn’t stop himself from placing a gentle kiss on the scar adorned on the bridge of Gavin’s nose.</p><p>Gavin slightly jerked back when Nines’ lips touched the jagged, raised skin on his face. He had always thought his scar was the worst part about him, that it wrecked anything good about his complexion. Other lovers he had been with steadily avoided that area, and yet here was Nines, treating it like it was something to be adored. </p><p>Before he could react, Nines’ moved back to Gavin’s lips and kissed him again. He seemed to not notice Gavin’s reaction, and resumed stroking his dick with slow, loose movements that hinted he had done this before.</p><p>Pushing aside his surprise, Gavin followed Nines’ lead, gently pulling out Nines’ member from his undone pants to work it gently within his hand, mirroring Nines’ movements, though he couldn’t help but notice with a shudder of surprise that the curved flesh was long and thick, just like the man in his arms.</p><p>“Gavin,” Nines whispered, his voice ragged and reverent, as he pulled away to look into Gavin’s half-lidded eyes. He kissed Gavin’s cheek, nipped again at his neck, and then dragged his lips against Gavin’s forehead, unable to stop himself from kissing every inch of them man that he could find. Everything <em>Gavin</em> wrapped around him like an unyielding weight, holding him in a tight embrace that he never wanted to leave. </p><p>Short minutes passed as they worked each other slowly, but firmly, and moans and short gasps filled the air in between small shared kisses and the pleasure steadily building between them.     </p><p>Eventually, Gavin grasped Nines’ shoulder tight and whispered, “Fuck. Fuck I’m-” he closed his eyes and threw his head back against the wall, his pale neck exposed for Nines to dive back in and grasp with his teeth.</p><p>As Nines’ kissed and caressed Gavin, he simultaneously pumped him faster, twisting his hand at the top to encourage small blasts of pleasure to ripple through Gavin’s body. He felt Gavin do the same, working him up to reach the same level.</p><p>With his free hand, Gavin slid his fingers into Nines’ dark locks to pull him back, kissing him hard as heat pooled low in his stomach. Moments later he gasped against Nines’ mouth as he came, wetness spilling over onto Nines’ hand as his body trembled with pleasure.</p><p>Nines moaned as he watched Gavin’s face tense, and that alone caused him to come undone quickly afterwards, the soonest he had orgasmed in a long time. He panted through the jolts running through his body, spilling over onto Gavin’s hand that was slowly, but steadily working him through until he was finished.</p><p>Closing his eyes, Nines rested his forehead against Gavin’s, breathing slow to catch his breath and to calm his shuddering body. He smiled and ran a hand up and down Gavin’s arm before whispering, “That was unexpected.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Gavin whispered back, looking up at Nines with pleasure-blown pupils and a growing frown. He reached beside him towards the bench and grabbed the small towel he had pulled out earlier. He quickly cleaned off his hands and dick before giving Nines the towel and pulling his pants back up.</p><p>While Nines was busy cleaning himself off, Gavin stepped back and ran a shaky hand through his hair. His throat was closing up, and the cloud of lust that moments ago had hung so heavily in his mind was slowly clearing.</p><p>As he began buttoning up his pants, Nines looked up at Gavin, then frowned when he saw how pale he had become. “Gavin?”</p><p>Gavin couldn’t stop himself from wincing when Nines spoke. “Look. You finally got what you wanted. Congrats. Now please, leave me the fuck alone.” He hated how wrecked and ragged his voice sounded, and avoided Nines’ confused look. Before Nines could reply, Gavin quickly turned, and walked out of the room.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Please be sure to check out the lovely art that will accompany this story by the very talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a></p><p>Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated!</p><p>Upcoming chapters posting dates are: </p><p>Chapter 8: December 16<br/>Chapter 9: December 20<br/></p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>“Please tell me you weren’t waiting up for me?”</p><p>Connor snorted awake, jolting from his slouched position on the ancient couch in the living area of their shared unit. He swiped at a trail of drool along the side of his chin, and began gathering the scattered papers and large book resting on his chest.</p><p>“Not at all,” he said, his voice rough from snoring. He watched his brother sit heavily in the chair beside him. “I was just working on my homily and the time got away from me.”</p><p>Nines snorted at his weak defense and picked up the glass half-filled with whiskey his brother had been nursing and drained it, barely wincing at the sharp burn as it flowed down his throat. “I can’t believe you still use paper to write those things out. You a Luddite follower as well?”</p><p>Connor frowned as he shuffled the materials in his hands, sorting them out on the small table between himself and his brother. “You’re in a mood. Missed some shots at the blasting range did you-” he stopped speaking and tilted his head. “What’s that mark on your jaw? Is that a love-bite?”</p><p>Nines practically sneered and stood. “A love-bite. Jesus. I’m going to bed. You should as well.”</p><p>Sighing, Connor shook his head. “You know I don’t judge, Nines. I have no qualms about anyone sating their natural desires with a willing partner outside of wedlock. This isn’t the middle-ages for God’s sake. But I really wish you would finally man-up and consider your feelings and for once try to realize if these fleeting liaisons are what you really want?”</p><p>Nines stopped walking and turned back to his brother. “What I want?”</p><p>Connor clasped his hands in front of him and slowly said, “I know it’s not my place, but recent events have made me realize that perhaps you should take your infatuation with Commander Reed a bit more seriously. I think it would be worth exploring the possibility that the two of you would be well suited together in a romantic relationship.”</p><p>Nines gave Connor a wan smile and sarcastically replied, “Well break out the damn champagne and consider yourself a savant, because I just left the Commander, who was the giver and also recipient of said marks.”</p><p>Connor’s mouth fell open in surprise and he stood up in excitement. “You...you and the Commander?” He started to smile, then frowned. “But you’re in a foul mood.” He sighed and shook his head before heading towards the kitchen. “What did you do?”</p><p>“Do? Me?” Nines exclaimed, outraged at his brother’s assumption that Gavin’s reaction was his fault. “I gave him a damn good orgasm is what I did! Then he tells me to fuck off and just walks out on me like I broke his favorite blaster. That man is a nightmare.”</p><p>As he opened the cupboards and began pulling out materials, Connor said, “Let’s face it, a nightmare you adore.” He crouched low to reach under the sink, searching. “And, well, you can’t really blame him for his behavior can you?”</p><p>“Like hell I can,” Nines snapped, and then quickly ran his hands through his hair. He had been fuming ever since Gavin walked away from him, more hurt and confused than he had ever expected to be. Gavin was right, he had finally gotten what he had wanted, to watch the man come undone in his arms, and garner the same kind of pleasure for himself.</p><p>What he hadn’t expected was after they had finished, he had planned to gather Gavin back up and hold him tightly once more. To kiss those bruised red lips senseless, and then offer to take him back to his unit to begin all over again, better and less rushed this time. </p><p>After they were done, he had wanted to talk to him, to ask him questions and hear his answers, and find out how to be responsible for that look of pleasure and happiness on his face all the time. </p><p>And then he would never let him go.</p><p>“You and the Commander have always been at odds,” Connor said, interrupting Nines’ tumbling thoughts. “Ever since you, against my advice might I add, attempted to seduce him to gain access to some files for that...issue one of my parishioners was having.”</p><p>“As a favor to you,” Nines said. He sat at their kitchen table, sulking despite himself. “How was I to know the man would worm himself under my skin? Especially after he rebuked me.”</p><p>“Which you were less than pleased about,” Connor commented. “You two have always had some serious friction, made even worse by the fact that you both clearly were attracted to each other, as we now know for certain,” he glanced at the bruise along Nines’ jaw and the way his hair stuck out at odd ends and angles. “But to be fair, you’ve always been a bit harsh with Gavin.</p><p>“In your defense!” Nines snapped.</p><p>“I feel like we’ve already established I don’t need any sort of defense from Gavin, of all people,” Connor gently said as he stood, finally finding what he had been searching for - a bag of coffee beans.</p><p>“I can imagine him being a bit confused, honestly,” Connor continued as he opened the bag, breathing in the bean’s hearty scent. “One minute you’re lambasting him about one thing or the other, and the next you’re kissing him senseless.” He turned towards Nines who was scowling at him. “I believe the term ‘mixed messages’ is what I am trying to explain here.”</p><p>Nines remained quiet as Connor steadily handled the materials laid out on the counter, grinding the beans and warming up the kettle, then pouring a mix of the two into a container to marinate. He thought about his brother’s words, considering how they tied in with his previous interactions with Gavin. </p><p>After a few quiet minutes Nines said, “I’ve been a perfect asshole to him, haven’t I?”</p><p>Connor turned and gave him a sympathetic look. “Honestly? Yes. But you’ve never tried to pass yourself off as an angel either. You are who you are, though if you want more from Gavin, you might need to reassess some behaviors, and establish where you stand.”</p><p>“You think Gavin doesn’t know where I stand with him? I would assume I made it fairly obvious when...earlier.” Nines quickly decided his brother didn’t need to know any details of his interaction with Gavin.</p><p>“I think you’ve made it quite clear what your body thinks. It’s your heart and mind that remain a mystery to him.” Connor pulled out a long cylinder and poured the steaming dark liquid inside it. He closed the top and walked over to this brother, holding the container out to him. “Don’t beat yourself up too much over it. You and I haven’t exactly had the most authentic experiences with vocalizing or understanding our emotions. Especially when it comes to dealing with matters of the heart.” He paused as his brother took the container, regarding it warily. “And, from what little I know about Gavin, he is probably the same. So, my advice? Try using small words.”  </p><hr/><p>“I wish I could be more helpful to you, Commander. Really, I do.”</p><p>Gavin looked over the pale, sallow face of the widow Kaminski, her blue eyes etched with fatigue and grief. She looked helpless and alone, a small figure being engulfed by the wide bed, her only comfort the numbing drugs coursing through her system. </p><p>Chloe’s med-tech had contacted Gavin to let him know that she had awoken from her sedation earlier than they had expected. Gavin had received the message not long after leaving Nines in the simulation room, and immediately changed course to head to her bedside while still wearing his work-out clothes. He tried not to think about how traces of Nines’ soft touches and heady scent lingered on the fabric, and his body; even his taste was a fresh memory he couldn’t push aside.</p><p>“We completely understand you not being able to remember everything that happened inside the transport, Mrs. Kaminski,” Gavin said as gently as he could. He was shit at bedside manners, but he knew he had to tread lightly to get her cooperation. “We just wanted to get your statement for the investigation so that we have all avenues covered.”</p><p>She nodded, and her eyes welled up as she whispered, “Of course.” She sniffed and looked up at the ceiling as a lone tear trailed down her bruised cheek. She raised a trembling hand to wipe it away, smearing some of the dark eyeshadow and liner traced around her eyes. “All I can remember is entering the transport and then the hem of my dress getting caught on my heel. I bent down to untangle it, and that’s when I heard the shots. Before I even had the chance to look up, I felt this weight on me and then pain...so much pain.”</p><p>She faltered and her throat started bobbing before she pressed her lips tightly together. For a moment Gavin panicked and thought Chloe would begin to cry again, but she instead took in a deep breath through her nose, let a few more tears fall, and then turned back to Gavin. “That’s all I can remember. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“That’s fine,” Gavin said and nodded, typing the notes into his datapad. Her story explained why she had been spared in the massacre, her lowered position allowing Daniel to take the brunt of the blaster shots, unknowingly shielding Chloe’ from any life-threatening injuries. “Mrs. Kaminski I only have a couple more questions for you, then I’ll leave you to your rest.”</p><p>He brought up Zlatko’s face in a hologram emitting from his communicator cuff, “This man is Zlatko Andronikov. Do you recognize him?”</p><p>She studied his face for a few moments, then shook her head. “No. Should I?”</p><p>Gavin had expected that answer. “Mrs. Kaminski, we believe this man is responsible for killing your husband and the security team, but we don’t know who hired him to pull off the attack. We think it might be someone with access to the Kaminski main office, and we would like permission to access your office’s files and transmits to see if we can establish any communication between an associate and Zlatko.”</p><p>“Oh,” Chloe said, and let out a small sob. “Oh no.”</p><p>“No?” Gavin asked and watched as she brought a hand up to her mouth and tried to hold back more tears.</p><p>“I want to say yes. I would give anything to say yes. But I can’t,” she gritted out her words when she was able to find her voice again.</p><p>“I don’t follow,” Gavin said.</p><p>The delicate hand slid from Chloe’s pert mouth to her slender throat. “I don’t have the clearance to give you those permissions. There’s a whole board of trustees, people who run the company when Elijah is-” she stopped and swallowed thickly, “was away for business. Even if I could give you permission, which I want to, I do so much, I just can’t. I don’t have access to those files or employee transmits, and I would have to get approval from the board to get you them.”      </p><p>Gavin nodded, afraid as much. He knew Chloe was close to Elijah, but he didn’t know how much power she weld withinside the company. He figured he would have had better luck with permission from a grieving widow than a handful of people trying to protect their assets, but this was the best he could work with at this time.</p><p>“We’ll get to working on that. For now, get some more rest. Thank you for your time,” Gavin said and nodded at Chloe before he turned to leave.</p><p>She sniffed once more and seemed to deflate against the white sheets and thick pillows. “Thank you for finding the man who killed my husband, Commander. Even if we never find out who hired him, at least he will spend the rest of his life rotting in confinement for what he’s done.”</p><p>“That’s the plan, ma’am,” Gavin said and with one last nod, he turned and left the room.</p><hr/><p>Nines stood outside Gavin’s unit, the container warm against his palm, and for a moment he wondered if he should have brought something else with him. Food? Alcohol? A new blaster?</p><p>Instead, he shook his head and placed his free hand on the door, waiting for the identification device to finish scanning him so that Gavin would know who was at his door. </p><p>After his discussion with Connor, he wouldn’t be surprised if Gavin just ignored him or told him to go away, but barely a minute passed before the unit’s door slid open, revealing Gavin standing in the entrance way, an annoyed scowl on his face that mirrored his arms crossed defensively against his chest.</p><p>“What part of fuck off and leave me alone did you not get?” Gavin snarled at him. </p><p>Nines looked him over. His hair was wet and he had changed into a relaxed set of clothing most people slept in. The scent of wash and faded steam wafted out of the unit, which told Nines Gavin had just finished a refresher.</p><p>The sudden thought of a naked Gavin covered in bubbles and water flashed distractedly in Nines’ mind, and he forcefully pushed it aside to deal with the matter at hand.</p><p>He held out the cylinder to Gavin. “A peace offering,” he said, and mentally kicked himself. He knew he could be smoother than this. Why the hell did he always screw things up so badly with Gavin?</p><p>Gavin raised an eyebrow up at him, suspicious. “What is it? Holy water? Connor trying to bless me after my sinful ways? Or, knowing you, poison me?”</p><p>Nines held back a snarky reply and instead said, “Take a taste. Connor thought you might like it enough that it’d buy me entrance into your unit so that we could talk. Let me explain myself.”</p><p>“You don’t need to explain anything,” Gavin said, then reluctantly took the item out of Nines’ hand, curious despite himself. “I get the sitch.”</p><p>“Please, I’d appreciate the chance,” Nines tried, and watch Gavin open the top of the container. The strong, heady aromas of the coffee beans mixed with steam spilled over the top, and Gavin’s eyes widened as he breathed in the scent.</p><p>“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Gavin said and straightened before he looked up at Nines. “This is coffee.”</p><p>Shrugging, Nines said, “So you’re familiar with it?”</p><p>“Yeah, but this is real fucking coffee. Like, the real shit. How the hell did your brother get his hands on real coffee? I can only get it a few times a year when the traders from outside our quadrant dock here to restock ammo.” Gavin wrapped both of his hands around the container and breathed in deeply. Nines watched, entranced, as Gavin’s whole body seemed to destress and relax as the scents washed over him. The man hadn’t a clue as to how adorable he suddenly looked.</p><p>After he cleared his throat Nines tried to refocus on the conversation. “Connor is a fellow coffee lover, and our friends and family keep him well supplied. Now, if you don’t mind, I would ask that we continue this conversation inside, if I have your permission?”</p><p>Gavin looked up from where he had been reveling the dark liquid in his hands and seemed to remember Nines was still standing there. That scowl reappeared, and he shook his head. “Fine. Whatever. You’ve bought yourself five minutes to waste your time telling me what I already know.” </p><p>He stepped backwards into his unit and walked over to his small kitchenette, leaving Nines to enter the room himself. Nines looked over the unit suitable for one person, and saw how bare and spartan it was. No pictures or decorations or anything that hinted at Gavin’s personality outside of his profession as a security officer. That surprised Nines, who could always see traces of the strong personality that Gavin possessed.</p><p>Ignoring Nines, Gavin walked into his kitchenette and pulled out an old navy blue mug. He slowly, carefully, poured the coffee into it, taking his time to make sure he didn’t spill a single drop. </p><p>Nines watched Gavin, amused at how excited he was, and folded his hands into the small of his back, taking the stance he felt most comfortable in, and said, “I’m sorry.”</p><p>That was enough to get Gavin to shift his focus from the liquid in his mug back to Nines. “You’re sorry? For what?” He picked up the mug and walked over to his small, white kitchen table, then sat down in one of the two chairs. His questions were genuine and curious, though edged with caution.</p><p>“For a lot of things, but mostly I’m sorry for my overt aggressions towards you. It was unfair of me to berate you as much as I did. Though it’s no excuse, I-I’m...protective of my brother. Perhaps overly so. Despite where we are now, we’ve lived a-a difficult life-”</p><p>Gavin held up a hand. “Connor already gave me a basic run-down of your lives, so you don’t need to go into that again. I…I get that. I do. But that doesn’t really explain why you’re sorry.”</p><p>Nines shifted, surprised that Connor and Gavin had already discussed their past when he knew it was a sore subject for them both, and then gestured towards the chair next to Nines. “May I?”</p><p>Gavin slowly nodded.</p><p>When Nines sat he folded his hands on top of the table and continued. “When you first rejected me in your office I was surprised. That doesn't happen often.”</p><p>Gavin raised an eyebrow at him, but remained silent.</p><p>“I’m not trying to elevate myself, though I know that I am traditionally found attractive. I’ve also just been lucky. But then you and I interacted more often because of my brother, and I found myself drawn to you. You’re loyal and smart and hard-working, and kinder more often than you probably realize. You’re all this even when you try so hard to show the world that you’re only this gruff asshole. You got under my skin, and now that I’ve had a few moments with you, I can’t stop myself from wanting more.”</p><p>Still confused, Gavin placed the mug on the table. “So, what the hell are you trying to say?”</p><p>“I’m trying to say,” Nines slowly began, and shifted in his seat to lean forward and take Gavin’s free hand in his. “After you’re finished with this Kaminski business, I would like to make you dinner one evening.”</p><p>Gavin blinked, surprised not only by the request, but by Nines’ gentle touch, the warmth of their hands joined together. He sat back and took his hand away, but kept his eyes steady on Nines’ bright blue ones.</p><p>“This is not what I expected you to say.”</p><p>“What did you expect me to say?” Nines asked in a soft voice.</p><p>Gavin swallowed and looked down, his voice lowering as well as his heart pounded loudly in his chest. “That what happened...back there, was fun and all, but to not expect anything else.” He smirked and looked up at Nines. “And then you’d yell at me about your brother again.”</p><p>Nines tried to return the smile, but his gut twisted. He was hard on Gavin, and he had a lot to make up for. </p><p>“What do you want from me?” Gavin asked.</p><p>“More,” Nines answered. “More of back there. More of what we haven’t done yet. More you. Us.” He sighed and ran a hand over his mouth. “I think the more I realized my attraction to you wouldn’t go away, the more I tried to push you away instead. It was wrong, but, I can’t stop wanting more of you Gavin. I want to hold you but also talk to you. I want to challenge you and have you challenge me back. Does…that make sense?”</p><p>Gavin was silent for a short while, taking in Nines words but also his body language, the desperate please in his voice when he spoke. Eventually, slowly, Gavin reached out and placed his other hand on top of Nines’, the warmth front the mug an extra layer seeping into their skin. He sighed and dragged a thumb across Nines’ knuckles, and then quietly whispered, “My name was Twos.”</p><p>Nines’ felt his back straightened and he held onto Gavin’s gaze. He didn’t need the moments of silence that stretched between them to know what Gavin meant, he just needed the time to let his confession settle in his mind.</p><p>Finally, Nines said, “You were an orphan as well?”</p><p>Nodding, Gavin answered, “At some shit hole in the secondary quadrant. So, you know, I get it. Some of it, at least, why certain things are...hard. And why you’re so protective of Connor. Why you can be such an asshole sometimes.” He swallowed. “I won’t call you lucky that you and Connor were adopted, we both know that’s not always a guarantee for a good outcome, but I was conscripted to the galactic army when I reached apprenticeship age and that’s been my life since before coming here. That-that’s all I know.” </p><p>He lifted one of his hands and waved it between them. “I’m still not sure if I totally trust you, and it’s going to take a while because I don’t know how to be with you the way I want to. But, if you’re serious, really serious about whatever it is you want to do, then I’ll try. Okay?”</p><p>A half-laugh slipped out of Nines’ mouth as his knees slid to the floor, elation lighting up his face. He took his hands out of Gavin’s and slid them up to his face, then drew him in for a kiss. </p><p>A whimper of surprise was Gavin’s response before he brought his hands up to Nines’ elbows and then slid them up his arms, holding him tight as he kissed him back, reveling in this chance he was taking. The last thing he had expected to be doing this evening was being in Nines’ arms again, kissing him senseless. But it felt damn good, and he didn’t want it to ever end.</p><p>When Nines drew back he rested his forehead against Gavin’s and said, “I will earn your trust. I promise. And we’ll go as slow as you want. I just-I want to be with you. Is that a good place to start?”</p><p>Nodding, Gavin allowed Nines’ scent, his taste, to engulf him once more, and only now realized how much he missed it. “I won’t share my coffee with you though.”</p><p>Nines laughed and sat back. He took Gavin’s hands back into his own, and brought them up to his mouth, gently kissing his knuckles. “Your coffee is safe from me, I promise. I prefer tea.”</p><p>Swallowing down the elevating emotions rising in his chest at the casual affection and non-aggressive conversation, Gavin rolled his eyes to the ceiling and said, “Of course you do you big, tall weirdo.”</p><p>Nines just smiled and kissed Gavin again, drawing him in closer.</p><p>When his hands traveled down to Gavin’s legs, his thumbs gently rubbing the inside of his thighs, his mouth drew away from Gavin’s lips and worked a trail across his jaw. Gavin moaned and bucked gently in his seat, then grasped onto Nines’ shoulders when he latched onto the space between his neck and shoulder, lapping at the skin to shoot jolts of pleasure through his body.</p><p>Gasping slightly, Gavin suddenly quickly shook his head and said, “Wait. Wait-stop.”</p><p>Confused, Nines pulled back and placed a hand on Gavin’s cheek, his brows furrowed in worry. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I want to, trust me I do. But I can’t. Not right now,” Gavin panted, and placed his hands gently on Nines’ chest. “You said after the Kaminski thing, and you’re right. I need to focus on that. Tomorrow Chloe’s being transferred to her home medical center, so I only have a short window to put this thing to bed.” He moved one hand to grab the datapad on the table and tapped it a few times before a large holographic chart appeared on a far wall.</p><p>Nines looked it over, and quickly realized it was all of Gavin’s notes on the case. He turned back to Gavin and sighed. “Duty calls. I understand.” He nipped at Gavin’s lips once more before he stood. “I’ll leave you to your work then.”</p><p>When Nines stepped aside Gavin stood as well, the datapad still in his hands. “Wait,” he said.</p><p>Nines turned back to Gavin. “Change your mind?”</p><p>“Nice try,” Gavin said, smirking. He stepped up to Nines and looked at the data before turning back. “Consider this a one-time thing, and the first step towards gaining my trust. If you really want...whatever it is you want from me, I’m warning you now that I’m not about to start giving you and Connor free access to data and files every time your brother decides to start sniffing around in other people’s business. I’m not a resource for your brother’s hobby just because you and I might start...whatever we might start.”“Noted,” Nines’ said, amused at Gavin’s fumbling explanation.</p><p>“I mean it, Nines,” Gavin said, his voice growing serious. “If all this turns out to be you trying to pump me for information-” he was quickly cut off when Nines slid his hand into Gavin’s hair and pulled him in for a mind-numbing, searing kiss that echoed it’s love and affection straight down into Gavin’s soul.</p><p>When they pulled back, Gavin was panting again and staring straight into Nines’ icy blue eyes. </p><p>Nines held his hand in place, and quickly kissed the scar on Gavin’s nose. He smirked when Gavin let out a soft, surprised gasp. “I adore you,” Nines quietly said as his lips moved to caress Gavin’s cheek. “I have zero intentions on taking advantage of you or your position.”  </p><p>Gavin’s gut twisted at Nines’ words, and he struggled to keep his thoughts straight as his legs weakened. Instead, he cleared his throat and fell back into what he knew best. “All I’m saying is I have some friends on this ship who are very familiar with how the jettison locks work. Accidents happen.”</p><p>“Again, noted.” Nines smirked at Gavin’s warning, adoring his bravery and wit. He had no doubt being in a relationship with him was going to be a damn good time. </p><p>Gavin searched Nines’ eyes for any trace of a lie, but he came up empty. He took in a deep breath, and then took the plunge.</p><p>“Fine, then contact your brother and tell him to get down here, because as much as I hate to admit it, I need his help.”</p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Please be sure to check out the lovely art that will accompany this story by the very talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a></p><p>Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated!</p><p>The last chapter posting date is: </p><p>Chapter 9: December 20<br/></p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <span>“I just think I could be a little more help, that’s all,” Connor huffed as he handed Gavin the small wooden box in his hands. His eyes flickered briefly towards the two-way partition that gave view into a small interrogation room adjacent to the viewing room they were standing in, and then looked back to Gavin, his lips dipping into a frown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Opening the box, Gavin picked out a lone cigar and inspected its length and quality. He wasn’t about to waste a good stick on a man who didn’t deserve it. “Trust me, you’re helping plenty.” When he found a mediocre cigar, he closed the box and gave it back to the priest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connor slid the box under his arm and lifted his wrist to look at his communicator, inspecting the time. “I can only stay so long. But are you sure you don’t want me to go in there with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snorting, Gavin said, “Like hell, Father. I’m not going to put you in the same room as a damn assassin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and was wearing an amused smirk from watching Gavin and Connor argue, raised his eyebrows slightly when Connor suddenly looked at him, silently pleading for support. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you honestly think I’m going to argue for you to be into the same room as a murderer?” Nines asked, his voice dripping with annoyance. “Don’t be impetuous, brother.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin tucked the cigar into his shirt pocket and gave Connor’s shoulder a brief, awkward pat. “You said you wanted to help, so you’re helping. Booze and cigars are all I need from you this time, okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connor’s eyes flickered with interest. “This time? So are you warming up to the idea of us working together again, Commander?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beside them, Nines let out a soft laugh and shrugged innocently when Gavin shot him an annoyed look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning back to Connor, Gavin grumbled, “Let’s just get through this first, Father.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stepped back and walked towards the doorway, then lifted his hand to place it on the panel to unlock the door. Before he could press down, he felt a hand gently land on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Nines was suddenly beside him, his eyes betraying the nerves hidden beneath his visage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please be careful in there,” Nines said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin looked over at Connor who was a few feet away and studiously looking into the interrogation room. Though he was trying to give them privacy, he had a small, pleased smile on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin looked back at Nines and gave him a confident smirk. “Careful he says. The guy who took on a mech with a goddamned hand-blaster? Relax. I’ve got this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your bravado is as annoying as it is adorable,” Nines answered dryly, though he did smile slightly before he let go of Gavin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin only responded with a small wink, then pressed the panel to open the door and head inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sitting in the near empty room, his hands clasped together by binders magnetically attached to the small table he sat in front of, Zlatko flicked his tired eyes up to watch Gavin enter through the sliding door, his face impassive, his body tense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The interrogation room was a blank canvas of nothing, with the walls, ceiling and floor bleeding into each other to create an empty white box only broken up by a white table, a matching chair and the two humans inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin said nothing. He didn’t meet Zlatko’s eyes, or touch the panel on the side wall to command a new chair for himself to sit in. His boot’s soft footsteps were the only sound he made to mix in with Zlatko’s heavy breathing, his chair creaking as he turned to watch Gavin move.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of speaking, Gavin walked towards Zlatko, his eyes focused on the small container he had pulled out from the inside of his pants pocket. He clicked it open, and a small clear circle was plucked out by Gavin’s finger. While Zlatko watched him move with wary, dark eyes, he jerked back in surprise when Gavin suddenly slapped the circle directly onto his temple. The sound of Gavin’s hand smacking against Zlatko’s skin was loud in the room, followed by Zlatko’s annoyed yelp of pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Zlatko swore at Gavin, then hissed, “The hell did you put on me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After he finished walking his way back to stand in front of Zlatko, Gavin pulled out two items from inside his other front pocket, placing them down on the table. One item was a lone metal cylinder, small and round, and the other a small flask. He barely held back a smirk as Zlatko eyed both items, his eyes darting eagerly between the two of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Using his index finger, Gavin pointed to the small container, “A whiskey blend, aged forty-five years, courtesy of our local holy man. It’s not blessed, but you’ll feel damn good with each sip.” He moved onto the thinner item, “A Chesterson cigar. I saw in our report when they tossed your unit that there was some cigar ash found. Figured you’re a fan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He then moved his hand back towards Zlatko’s face. “And that bit of decoration is some neat little haptic tech I got my hands on from the Galactic Enforcement Commissioners. They were happy to let me spend a little more time with you before they take you into confinement, and I thought I’d make the most of it. So, let me keep this simple.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He straightened and folded his arms. “I ask you some questions, and if you tell me the truth, the light shines blue, reading your facial responses and brain waves that’ll tell me if you’re not trying to bullshit me. As a reward, you can have one of these tasty treats.” He then shrugged. “You lie to me and that light turns red, well…” He paused and then lowered his voice. “I’ve heard plenty of stories about how difficult it is to get contraband into the confinement unit they’re sending you to so, take my advice, don’t lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An eager light had flickered into Zlatko’s eyes as he looked between the cigar and flask and then up to meet Gavin’s eyes. He shifted in his seat and then allowed a small smirk. “Fine. Ask me your questions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said that you have no idea who it was that hired you. That true?” Gavin asked and paced to a side wall, acting as if he hadn’t spent the previous night planning everything he was going to say to the man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I do not know,” Zlatko said, his temple flashing a cobalt blue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin nodded and then remained silent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zlatko nodded towards the flask. “Do I get my treat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you tell me something I don’t know,” Gavin said. “Don’t want to waste our supply.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>White teeth flashed from Zlatko’s annoyed grimace at Gavin. Zlatko pulled once against his binders, annoyed. “Then ask me new questions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling, Gavin walked back to the table, “How about you tell me something I don’t know. Make this go a little faster?” He shrugged again. “Lots of your transmissions were heavily coded, and it’ll take a while for our tech-nerds to go through them all.” When he was in front of Zlatko he slammed his hands down on the table. “I want the bastard who hired you. Give me something, and I’ll return the favor.” He gestured towards the items.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zlatko sat back in his chair. “I might want the cigar first. It helps with the taste of the whiskey.” He cleared his throat and looked towards the ceiling, thinking for a few moments. He let out a slow breath before he said, “I do not know for certain, but I truly believe you are looking for a bitch, not a bastard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin froze, unable to hide his surprise. “You think it was a woman who hired you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zlatko nodded, his temple lighting up blue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How the hell did you get to that? She mention what’s in her pants or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing so outdated or crude. I have been doing this a long time, Commander, and while rarely do I need to know which or if there even is a gender to any of my employers to successfully...do my business, I have learned to occasionally differentiate subtleties that help identify who is most likely communicating with me.” He quirked an eyebrow up at Gavin. “That something new?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, Gavin tapped at the binder holding down Zlatko’s right hand, and after the device read his thumbprint, the binder unhooked itself, freeing Zlatko. He didn’t hesitate to grab the flask, popping it open with his thumb before plastering his lips to the top spout, tilting his head back to let the whiskey flow inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin folded his arms across his chest. “Thought you were going with the cigar first?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zlatko paused to let the whiskey settle in his chest before he took a breath and eyed Gavin. “What can I say? I am not used to telling the truth. It makes me thirsty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Gavin hummed. “Since you know I’ll keep my word,” he picked up the cigar, then dug out a small device from his breast pocket. Thumbing the top of the small square object in his hands, it flickered for a moment, then a bright blue flame sprouted alive. “How about you share something else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fire reflected in Zlatko’s eyes. He pressed his lips together, and Gavin could see his mind searching for anything to say that would earn him the cigar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t have anything-” Gavin said as the moments stretched between them. He clicked the top of the lighter shut, the flame disappearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait. Wait!” Zlatko yelled, slamming the flask down. He hissed out a new swear and ran a hand through his greasy black hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he scratched back of his neck, he suddenly tensed and looked up at Gavin. “This might be nothing, but it is not a lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Make it a something that’s not a lie and we’ll go from there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The blasters,” Zlatko began slowly. “There were some requests for installing the blasters. The instructions had very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>specific points of location for where they were to be installed within the ceiling. I was to follow those directions explicitly, which I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though his eyes flickered to the blue spinning on Zlatko’s temple, Gavin already knew he was telling the truth. He had worked interrogations before, but Zlatko was practically salivating at the cigar in his hands. He was desperate and it showed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Gavin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shrugging, Zlatko said. “I do not know. They didn’t specify why, just gave me the dimensions and where to place the basters. It’s not unusual for my clients to add special requests to their commissions, and often I see the reasoning for them after the job is done. This time, however, I did not.” He sighed and ran a hand over his mouth to wipe away the layer of sweat dotting his upper lip. “Is that good enough for you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Gavin said. He tossed the cigar and the lighter towards the prisoner, who scooped them up with his one free hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Spasibo,” Zlatko muttered and his stiff fingers fumbled momentarily as he brought the cigar to his mouth, then palming and flicking the lighter to alight with a practiced hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enjoy it. If I have more questions for you I’ll be back, but if not, well, I guess you don’t need me to tell you about savoring the moments before they’re gone, do I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zlatko’s middle finger wound its way upwards at the same time he winked at Gavin, then took a long, slow drag from the cigar, the tip glowing as red as a dying star. Gavin just turned and walked out of the room, leaving Zlatko to his last bit of pleasure before it was gone for possibly the rest of his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin had more questions that he wanted to try on the man, but the answers to his questions unexpectedly threw him off his course. When he entered the small room he looked up at Nines who was standing in front of the window, his arms crossed as he regarded Zlatko enjoying his rewards. He immediately noticed Connor was not there, but wasn’t surprised, since he had previously mentioned he couldn’t stay long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the door slid shut behind Gavin, Nines turned from watching the other room slowly fill with smoke and regarded him with a raised eyebrow and a small smile tugging at his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did well in there,” Nines said, nodding towards Zlatko. “I’ll also admit it’s nice to see someone else on the other end of your interrogations for once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crossing his arms, Gavin smirked at his comment as he stepped up next to him. He turned his back so that it rested against the two-way panel, and he could feel his body relaxing because of Nines’ presence. He kept his eyes on Nines, still wary of his intentions and the shift in their usual interactions with each other, but he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to be near him, or to dampen the desire to take advantage of this moment they had alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if he had read Gavin’s mind, Nines uncrossed his arms and slid a hand onto Gavin’s shoulder, the other lifted to cup his face, and leaned down to kiss him. He kept it soft and light, a gentle reminder that his desire for Gavin remained an undercurrent of his entire being.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tilting his head to the side to accept the kiss, Gavin let it wash over him, his lips and body responding to Nines’ touch like he gone without it for years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moments later, when Nines pulled back, he let out a soft groan and said, “I really hope you’re close to putting this whole murder business to bed because I am terribly desperate to get you into my bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin groaned as well, but not for the same reason. “I’m not sure what you were going for there, but that, oof, that was just really corny, babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chuckling, Nines brought his other hand down so that both were grasping Gavin’s shoulders, his thumbs affectionately running a trail against the tough, dark fabric that made up his tactical uniform. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about this?” Nines said, his smile turning lascivious. “I’m sticking to my promise to not pursue seducing you until everything with this case is finished, but I’d like to give you a little incentive.” He leaned forward so that his lips brushed against the shell of Gavin’s ear, and his breath was a hot caress against Gavin’s neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shivers of desire and need rippled down Gavin’s body. He grasped Nines’ elbows, and couldn’t stop the small, surprised gasps of want from tumbling out of his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I get you into my bed, what my hands, my mouth, my tongue, my dick,” he paused as he felt Gavin shift with desire under his hands. He only smiled and continued. “What I plan to do to you there will make it so when we are finished, when you’re a well-fucked mess beneath me, you won’t have an ounce of strength to walk away from me again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin closed his eyes and huffed out a heavy breath. “Nines-” he tried to say, but Nines shushed him, dragging his lips against Gavin’s heated skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand why you walked away the first time. I do. And you will always have the right to walk away when you want to. But trust me when I say this, I have no intention of watching that happen again. I plan to do right by you, Gavin Reed. I plan to treat you so damn well you’ll never want for anything or anyone again. One day you’ll believe that, and I can only hope you feel the same for me as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to speak as emotions Gavin had barely ever felt before welled up deep inside him, he instead turned his head and tugged Nines to his mouth again, his kisses desperate and heated as he tried to convey everything he wanted Nines to know, but hadn’t the ability to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And though no more words passed between them, Nines heard everything. He could understand that Gavin wanted what he was promising, and in his own way, would try to do right by him as well. He had seen Gavin’s battle with trying to maintain a fierce, formidable personal strength and courage for the sake of his position within the facility. Being a person who protected others was all he had; all he knew. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But his desire to be strong was a war raging with the kindness and humanity that resided deep inside him, the side that Nines knew originated his feelings for him. The side where love had always been so scarce in his life, but now was waiting patiently to be accepted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the heated kiss softened to gentle caresses and lingering glances into each other’s eyes, Nines gently dragged a thumb across Gavin’s reddened lips, glad that he was the reason they were plumped and darkened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise I’ll stop distracting you,” Nines whispered. “It’s just hard to control myself around you.” He smiled. “Connor is pleased that we’ve finally got our heads out of our asses.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Humming, Gavin brought his hand up to caress Nines’ hand against his lips, and kissed the tip of Nines’ thumb. “We’re never going to hear the end of it. But I’m glad he approves, I know how much he means to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let go of Nines’ hand and shifted so he could put a small amount of distance between them and refocus on the work that needed to be done. However, he could tell by the way Nines didn’t move away that he wasn’t intending on being far from Gavin, even while in the same room as him. Gavin didn’t say it out loud, but he kind of liked the idea of Nines wanting to be close to him. It was different and new, and he was slowly becoming okay with that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where did your brother take off to anyway?” Gavin asked. “He helping some sinful soul get saved or something? I woulda thought he’d want to stay to the end of the interrogation, point out all of the things I missed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines shrugged and smirked at Gavin’s playful dig. “Quite possibly. He was here until just before you exited the interview, when you were still talking to Zlatko. I asked him where he was running off to but you know him, always with his annoyingly vague non-answers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad I’m not the only one who gets ticked off by those,” Gavin muttered and lifted up his communicator cuff to queue up a transmission. “I’d like to talk with Mrs. Kaminski one more time before she leaves tomorrow. If she’s feeling better maybe I’ll get some more info that I can hit Zlatko with before he’s shipped off too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The holographic transmission connected, and the calm face of a med-tech Gavin had worked with occasionally answered</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Commander Reed,” Dr. Manfred said. “How can I help you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When is Mrs. Kaminski scheduled to be discharged tomorrow? I need to speak with her before her transport arrives.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blinking in surprise, the Doctor stuttered a bit before he replied, “I apologize for the miscommunication, Commander. But, she’s already been discharged.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Gavin exclaimed. “I thought her transport wasn’t scheduled to arrive until tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin watched as the medic frowned and began tapping at his data pad, searching for the information Gavin was asking about. “I only just signed onto my shift so please excuse my catching up. According to the notes for the med-tech who was on before me, Mrs. Kaminski had signed out against medical advice not too long ago, about twenty minutes at this point. Director North apparently had offered to pilot her a flight back home and she accepted.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The last I saw her she looked like she was on death’s door,” Gavin practically snapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up at Gavin. “I agree. But she passed the check-up and left with North and Father Stern on her own accord.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beside him, Gavin didn’t need to see Nines to sense him tensing when his brother’s name was spoken. Nines stepped up beside him, inserting himself into the conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keeping his voice calm and even, Gavin asked, “What was Father Stern doing there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Manfred referred back to his notes. “I’m not quite sure. He apparently arrived just before North and asked to speak with Mrs. Kaminski alone. As far as I know they didn’t know each other, but I could be mistaken.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gavin,” Nines’ voice sharply interrupted their conversation. “We need to leave. Now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally, Gavin would have felt anger flare in his chest and spit out the first hostile words that came to mind at Nines for interrupting him. But he knew better now, and trusted that whatever Nines had to say, it was damn important.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to go,” Gavin said and, without looking at Manfred, cut off the transmission. “What’s going on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know where Connor is.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“You put a tracker in his collar?” Gavin exclaimed. He watched Nines pace the length of the transport descending towards the docking sector. His face was an open view of fury to hide his fear, and his body was tense and tight, ready to spring forward at any moment.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, can you blame me?” Nines snapped, and looked back down at his communicator again, his eyes focused on a red dot located in the main hanger of Central. “He gets into more mischief than a damn puppy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After he crossed his arms, Gavin said, “This still doesn’t make sense. Why would Connor be going to the hangar with Chloe and North? What the hell do they want with him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines finally looked up at Gavin. “I think something Zlatko said triggered some suspicions. He might have had some questions for Chloe, and went to get the answers.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Gavin asked, “Okay. Then why wouldn’t he just tell you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Possibly because he wasn’t sure if he was correct. I’m afraid this time though, he might have gotten in too deep. Placed himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Gavin could reply, Nines’ words bounced around in his head a few times before they grabbed ahold of Zlatko’s voice repeating his confession.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“The blasters,” Zlatko began slowly. “There were some requests for installing the blasters. The instructions had very, very specific points of location for where they were to be installed within the ceiling.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh fuck me sideways,” Gavin muttered and ran his hands raggedly through his hair. “I know why Connor went to see Chloe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines turned to Gavin. “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Holding out his hands in frustration, Gavin growled, “Because I think he wanted to confirm that she was the one who hired Zlatko to kill her husband.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confused, Nines opened his mouth to reply, but Gavin cut him off. He held out his right hand and with his left fingers he began ticking off his thoughts one-by-one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, I don’t know why she wanted her husband dead, but think about it. The position of the blasters. She wanted Zlatko to install them in specific locations inside the ceiling so she would know where to stand to not get killed. She knew to hide behind Daniel so that he would take the brunt of the assault, and in addition to being at the scene of the crime, she would also get wounded just enough to establish her innocence. If Zlatko hadn’t been caught, she probably would have gotten away with all of it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines listed to Gavin speak and could easily see how well the connections matched. But none of that mattered as the one glaringly frustrating point stood in the forefront of his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, with his anger barely held back behind gritted teeth, Nines said, “Are you telling me that my brother willingly went to go see Chloe knowing she might’ve been the one to orchestrate the murder of four people? Alone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All Gavin could do was shrug helplessly. “Well, you know...it’s Connor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines straightened and looked at the front doors of the transport. He folded his hands behind his back and as the transport began to slow, he quietly said, “I’m going to find him, and then kill him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin placed his hand on his blaster’s holster and said, “For my sake, please try not to. I’m just about to wrap up fours murder, I’d rather not have to deal with another.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No promises,” Nines said and didn’t wait for Gavin when the transport doors opened. He ran into the open space with a quickness Gavin had never seen before, and he could only guess it was a remnant ability from his air force career. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a quick, annoyed moment Gavin raised his eyes to the ceiling before he shook his head and followed Nines into the hanger. He looked around the levels of different size and shaped transports to see if he could spot either Chloe, North or Connor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the sound of engines roaring to life filled up the hangar. Gavin saw Nines slide to a stop in front of him, and quickly caught up. As he came to stand beside Nines, he saw a spacecraft from a nearby docking station rise up into the air, and instantly recognized it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s Kaminski’s transport,” Gavin shouted to Nines. Nines dashed forwards towards the ship, and Gavin quickly grabbed  his arm and tried to drag him back as the vehicle rose, the wind from it’s propulsion blowing hard and fast against Nines and Gavin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, Nines didn’t budge. He turned to Gavin and shouted back, “Connor is in there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though he had suspected as much, Gavin swore and he knew he could only watch as the transport continued to rise until it reached the top of the hanger, where the opening latch exposed darkness and stars above. Ascending through the opening, the spacecraft began its journey through the electro magnetic shield, and into the abyss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon,” Nines yelled and grabbed Gavin’s arm, tugging him towards a nearby personal spacecraft that looked expensive and new.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Gavin exclaimed as he followed Nines. He watched Nines crouch beside the main door, and begin to tap away at his wristlet. He felt his chest tighten when he realized he suddenly recognized the ship. “Damn it, Nines! This belongs to Allen,” he hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Nines said and stood up when the door’s security panel lit up green and the door slid open. A robotic male voice cheerfully exclaimed, “Welcome back, Allen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin’s mouth fell open when he realized what had happened. “Did you just hack the security system?” He followed Nines inside the vehicle and tried not to be impressed after learning about this skill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Child’s play, dear,” Nines’ said as he slid into the pilot’s seat and began tapping away at the control panel in front of him. “Allen’s vehicle is the only transport here that should be fast and dense enough to catch up to Kaminski’s.” He turned to Gavin and smiled as he watched his lover slowly lower himself into the copilot’s chair. “And, what kind of weapon’s facility owner would Allen be if his cruiser wasn’t equipped with some kind of violent hardware?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin watched as the holo-display in front of them began to run a weapons check on the lower-deck’s blasters, all systems coming back green.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re what? Going to blast them out of the sky? Kinda defeats the purpose of saving Connor, don’t you think?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Nines pulled back at the helm and the ship began to ascend, following the path the previous vehicle took as it rose towards the opened hatch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though he was focused on their flight plan, Nines answered, “No, the killing will come after we’ve caught their ship. I just haven’t decided who to kill yet, Chole for this whole mess, or for Connor for getting involved in it.”</span>
</p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The story has come to an end! Thank you to everyone who read, left a kudos and commented. It is all soooo appreciated! </p><p>I really hope you enjoy the ending that has a nice long mix of adventure and romance!</p><p>And please, please, PLEASE be sure to check out the lovely art that has accompanied this story by the highly talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a> The art is fantastic and I am so lucky to have had Beili as a partner during this journey!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>
  <span>The helm felt comfortable and familiar in Nines’ hands, a steady weight he knew so intimately that he could have commanded Allen’s cruiser with his eyes closed. The stars passed by them like travelers racing in the opposite direction, unconcerned with the men’s haste as Nines forced the thrust of the ship to push itself faster along their path.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As his mind and hands fell back into muscle memories to pilot the space craft, he also could intimately sense Gavin’s eyes on him as he maneuvered the ship and set the command controls. He knew a heavy barrage of questions was silently building between them and after he adjusted the ordinate to auto, he casually said, “Chloe and North unfortunately have a bit of a heads start, so it’s going to take a short while for us to catch up to them. You might as well ask me now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ask you what?” Gavin all-too-casually questioned and folded his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines didn’t reply, instead his eyes flickered to the panel to review the navigational charts, and he tapped at numbers to adjust them again. Eventually Gavin huffed out a frustrated breath before he spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. How the hell do you know how to hack into the ship’s security systems? And how did you know that Allen’s ship had blasters? And why am I not surprised you’re so good at committing crimes when you’re so...you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines’ smirked at the last question before answering. “I’ve been at Central a month, Gavin, so I’ve had plenty of time to do my research.” He glanced at Gavin who was staring at him with narrowed eyes. “Oh don’t give me that look. You’ve always suspected that I wasn’t as innocent as my brother. But I wasn’t actually planning on doing anything criminal. I just like to know the layout of the places I’m in and what my resources are in case I need them for...emergencies like this one. Being a pilot, part of that, of course, is the station’s ships and what their specs are and how to make them available to myself in case the need arises.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Gavin didn’t reply Nines softened his voice. “You are not part of that plan, Gavin. I told you before I am not interested in you because of your access to Central’s security office.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Though Gavin was looking at the ship’s dashboard flashing a multitude of colors and flight information he couldn’t begin to understand, he let out a slow breath and said just as quietly, “You did at first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At first,” Nines agreed. “Yes. And you made it clear during that first encounter, and during many of our conversations since, that you are not a resource to be pumped for information. It’s not going to happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin nodded and ran a ragged hand through his hair. “Fine. Fine. I know. It’s just...going to take some time. You breaking into and stealing my boss's ship doesn’t exactly download you in the most positive holo-pic, you know?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Nines took in a deep breath and then said, “Well since we’re currently embarking on a romantic relationship perhaps it would be best if I lay all of my cards on the table. Starting with, well, cards. I am...very good with them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin eyed him warily. “You gamble?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not gambling if you always hold the winning cards,” Nines said and smirked at Gavin’s scowl. “I’ve spent years becoming proficient at card games, it was a nice side-hobby from piloting that I soon realized I had a natural knack for. I don’t play anymore, but my winnings did help fund occasional side-jobs I invested in after retiring from the air force.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Side jobs?” Gavin asked. “Do I even want to know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The specifics, probably not. But for the sake of honesty in this relationship, I will admit that I have, on occasion, run jobs on the opposite side of your laws, though I’ve since retired from that life as well. I have not, or am I planning on running any illegal deals in Central. I’ve gone straight, as the saying goes.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin didn’t speak, and Nines looked at him to see him staring out the window, lost in thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to hold back, Nines quietly asked, “Does this change how you feel about me?” He kept his voice even, but he knew Gavin had learned how to read his tones well enough to not notice the bit of nerves creeping there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without hesitation, Gavin said, “No,” He shook his head and turned his body in the chair so that he was completely facing Nines. “Look, I’m no angel from Connors’ bible either. I was only sixteen when the military put a blaster in my hands and told me to do whatever they said to stay alive.” He looked at Nines. “I know that’s how you kinda started out too, even though our...retirement choices were different. But I also know what kind of man you are, that you have honor, or at least some kind of code that you follow. Also, your brother might drive me up a damn wall, but I’ve been around him long enough to know he’s not an idiot. He loves his parishioners more than anything besides you probably. But he wouldn’t let anyone around who could hurt them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Relieved, Nines’ lips curled into a pleased smile before he hotly said, “An idiot, no. But naïve enough to go after a possible murderer on his own? Unfortunately yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That we can agree on,” Gavin answered with a shrug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling at Gavin, Nines felt the tension in his body slightly relax before the dashboard began beeping. He looked down. “Get ready. We’re coming in close.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both Gavin and Nines looked out of the panel and saw the sleek ship cruising along yards in front of them.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They don’t look like they’re running at full power,” Gavin said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good eye,” Nines said with slight admiration. “Allen was so kind to equip this vehicle with cloaking, so they don’t know we’re on their trail.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not even with a heat-signature?” Gavin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s cloaked as well. If they’re smart and paranoid enough they probably have their defenses up. But I bet you anything they think they’ve gotten away with what they’ve done. And they’re sitting pretty counting their credits.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>With my brother in your possession</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Nines didn’t say. But the flash of rage in his sharp blue eyes was clear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Standing, Gavin took out his blaster and quickly inspected its charge level. “I’m guessing here that your plan is for us to connect to their emergency loading hatch and sneak in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines nodded, again surprised at Gavin’s foresight, and tapped at a few lit up panels on the dashboard, maneuvering the ship to begin the process of connecting with Kaminki’s aircraft. “We’ll have to be quick. They’ll know we’re here as soon as we connect, we can’t hide that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll get the docking protocol started,” Gavin said. He hesitated for a moment, then placed a hand on Nines’ shoulder. Their eyes met and a silent message of understanding passed between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t die.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin nodded, then let go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Meet me in the back when you’ve finished the landing sequence,” he said, then turned and walked back to the end of the ship. It wasn’t long before he found the ladder leading to the upper level of the ship where the location of the hatch used to connect to outside ships was. Just as he began tapping at the side panel to activate the hatch he heard a voice from below begin to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Stern. A pleasure and a surprise to finally make your acquaintance.” Chloe’s voice echoed from the bridge of the ship, her voice calm and controlled, a far cry from the weeping widow Gavin had last spoken with. He realized she must have sent a communications transmission to the ship and Nines answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” Gavin said and began to climb back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s General Stern to you, Mrs. Kaminski,” Gavin heard Nines’ tight reply. There was a short pause. “And you’re North Eden, I presume.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That stopped Gavin short. </span>
  <em>
    <span>General</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You pain the ass,” Gavin muttered. How did that get left out of the conversation where Nines’ somehow managed to skip the part where he admitted he was a General?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Gavin refocused. He could feel the ship maneuver and dock with the other ship, and the panel began blinking as it assessed the other hatch to connect and accept the berthing of their spacecraft.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see you’ve been tracking me for a while.” Gavin heard Chloe continue, unfazed. “Despite your cloaking mode, my late husband upgraded this ship with the latest defense mechanisms. Your magnetic signature was not quite as hidden.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“General,” next came North’s smooth voice. “I’m not sure if there is a need for any of this subterfuge. Unless there is a problem Mrs. Kaminski or I can help you with, then I ask you to disengage and be on your way before we contact the local galactic enforcement officers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is a problem that I would greatly appreciate you two rectifying. You seem to have left Central in a hurry, and took something that didn’t belong to you,” Nines replied casually. “I want him back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Chloe hummed, as if she were confused. “My apologies, General. I’m not sure what you mean? It’s just myself and my dear friend on this ship. I’m desperate to get home after-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know exactly what I mean,” Nines shot back before he lowered his voice. “I don’t give a damn about you or whatever the two of you were up to back at Central. I want Connor back, and I warn you now that if he is hurt in any way, you are about to earn yourself the kind of enemy you seriously do not want to have coming after you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The metal Gavin’s palms were wrapped around were as cold as the chill that ran down his back after hearing Nines’ threat towards the women. The promise of danger and venom that dripped off his words were unmistakable, and if Chloe and North didn’t feel even a pinprick of fear after hearing Nines speak, they were both damn fools.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Above him, the panel suddenly blinked green, unlocking. Gavin reached up to grab the handle beside the hatch, turned it towards him, then pushed the hatch upwards, opening it up to reveal the connecting hatch to Kaminski’s transport. He climbed up a few steps and grabbed the hatch’s handle, ready to turn it to open access into the ship. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Below he could still faintly hear Chloe, North and Nines continue to trade barbs, and for a moment he hesitated, reluctant to leave Nines’ behind. Letting out a slow breath, he reached down and grabbed the butt of his blaster, then turned the handle. Connor was in trouble, and they couldn’t waste any more time. As far as the women knew, Nines had come alone, and he had a chance of saving Connor while they were distracted. Nines would just have to catch up to him when he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steadying himself on the ladder, he opened the hatch and then pointed his gun upwards into the opening, watching every open space for any movement or sense of danger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing besides darkness greeted him from above. Using his free hand he hoisted himself upwards into the loading area, his blaster pointed outwards, his senses still on alert. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lights in the room flickered on when they monitored Gavin’s movements, and he saw four chairs with buckles strapped to them lined in a row to his right, and cases and panels full of secured emergency supplies lined along the opposite wall, and a panel of controls for managing the cargo hold were displayed beside it. A small window above the chairs gave view to a cluster of stars and wide empty spaces of black.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keeping his gun in the ready position, he slowly walked out of the cargo control room, slowing his breathing so that he could listen for any noises to be on alert for. The small entrance, illuminated by soft white lights and paneling mirrored a brightly lit hallway that could only be taken from the right. As he continued down the corridor, besides his soft footsteps, only the barely audible humming of the ship’s engine was all that Gavin could hear around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he remembered the ships’ layout correctly, he believed he was heading towards the bridge, and he tried to think of where Chloe would have stashed Connor. Someplace out of the way, he assumed, so that Nines wouldn’t be able to see him during their conversation. A storage area, or a guest room- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Noises; shuffling, awkward thuds against metal suddenly echoed from above and behind Gavin. He spun around quickly, his blaster loading with a readied charge, and planted his feet firmly to steady himself against whatever was coming his way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The banging grew louder, and Gavin looked up to see if he could tell what was making that noise. Before he could even guess, a large white vent fell to the floor, with a body following its path before landing painfully against tile with a loud thud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connor!” Gavin exclaimed when he recognized the mess of a man on the floor. “What the hell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh,” Connor moaned, and rolled onto his side. “Please remind me never to do that again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin knelt beside him, grabbing his arm to help him onto his knees. When their eyes met Gaivn could see the blood on his forehead from where he had been hit earlier, and an array of bruises dotting his cheeks and hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell were you doing up there?” Gavin hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly Connor stood, awkwardly leaning against Gavin. “Escaping, obviously.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin had half a mind to drop the priest on his ass. Instead he asked, “How the hell did you get away. And how did you find me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brushing off his frock, Connor said, “I remembered seeing a cargo area and an emergency hatch indicator when I was being brought onboard, so I figured that’s where you would try to infiltrate. I assumed if Nines’ was here, you wouldn’t be far behind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annoyed, Gavin grumbled, “You act like we’re attached at the hip already.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only a matter of time I suppose,” Connor replied, unable to tamper down his grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t make me leave you behind,” Gavin threatened, though Connor’s smirk only grew at Gavin’s empty threat. Ignoring that for now, Gavin focused on undoing Connor’s binders and asked, “How the hell did you escape?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A bit flustered by the question, Connor stammered before he said, “My brother might have shared with me a few tips on overriding command panels.” He quickly continued. “Not that I’ve ever abused this knowledge back on Central, I assure you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Gavin was able to unlock the binders Connor rubbed at his sore wrists and said, “Speaking of my brother. Where is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On our ship distracting Chloe and North, so I took a head start to find you. I’m hoping they’re still on the bridge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a short walk, but the bridge is in that direction,” Connor nodded towards the long hallway to their right. “I can show you where it is, but I haven’t the faintest as to where much else is on this ship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So North and Chloe are working together, huh?” Gavin asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connor nodded again. “They worked together to hire Zlatko to kill Kaminski. Chloe gains control of the corporation and North is her partner in all of it. Been in the works for a while, it seems.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprised, Gavin said, “They told you all this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard them finalizing their plans when they thought I was knocked out after North kindly gifted me with this,” Connor pointed to his head wound. “Apparently Chloe stole some of Kaminski’s plans for the replacement androids he wanted to sell to Central. The ones you told us about that could replace the workers. As part of the deal, Allen would have to step down as CEO and North would take over, implementing the androids and selling them to other corporations in as many quadrants that can afford them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed. “It would be a brilliant plan if it weren’t so underhanded.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those criminals and their lack of morals,” Gavin muttered sarcastically. He pointed towards the walkway that led to the emergency hatch. “Go back to the ship we came in. Even if your brother isn’t there anymore getting on Chloe and North’s nerves, you’ll be safe until we get back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connor shook his head and took a step back. “Absolutely not!   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connor,” Gavin began warningly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Connor shook his head again. “I’m not completely useless here, Commander. I served in the Chaplain Corps, remember?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin just rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I know my way around this ship better than you, so I can help you find the women faster. And you’ll need all the help you can get since my brother is currently nowhere to be found.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin stared at Connor, his annoyance building, but then he let out a deep breath and lifted up his blaster to recharge it. He knew Connor was as stubborn as his brother. “Fine. Jesus, fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connor smiled and was about to speak before Gavin cut him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I’ll let you tag along as long as you do as I say and duck when I say get down,” Gavin snapped. “And don’t even think of trying anything stupid, okay? I may love your brother but there’s no way in hell I am dealing with him if you so much as bruise wrong and he doesn’t like how it colors. He’s a pain-in-my-ass on a good day, but it’s annoying as hell listening to him fuss over you all the damn time.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>After he finished recharging his blaster he turned to take the lead down the hallway. He had only walked a few steps when he realized Connor wasn’t following. He turned around and lifted a confused eyebrow at Connor’s smiling face, his excited eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell are you grinning at?” Gavin hissed at him and quickly looked around again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Connor fell into step behind Gavin, still smiling. “Nothing. I just heard some really great news.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confused, Gavin opened his mouth to ask what the hell Connor was talking about, but he instead shook his head and said, “Whatever. There’s no time. Let’s just focus on getting out of here alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They continued down the hallway quietly, focused on listening for noises or voices. After a few minutes, Connor whispered, “When you turn right we’ll be passing the room they were keeping me in. I’m not sure if they know I’m gone by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s treat it like they do.” Gavin said and stopped when they came to an intersection in the hallways. He held up a hand to stop Connor and then slowly peeked around the corner. He didn’t see or hear anything, but that only made him more suspicious, and he wasn’t about to expose himself or Connor without being sure. He ran over a plan in his head, then reached into his tactical belt to pull out a small, silver orb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crouching down, he rolled the orb into the hallway and waited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A moment later, white steam began emitting from the orb, creating a heavy cloud that blanketed the intersection, obscuring their view but also creating a safer cover for them to move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which way?” Gavin whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connor’s reply was nodding to their right. They crouched low and began to slowly edge away from their hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blaster shots stopped them dead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get down,” Gavin hissed and grabbed Connor’s shoulder to push him back against the wall as red plasma shots began scorching the walls above them. Gavin wasn’t sure who was shooting at them, but they were aiming blind into the smoke, hoping to hit their target. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin knew an amature shooter when he saw one, and he figured it was either North or Chloe taking a chance at getting rid of them. The shots were wide and scattered, but only one needed to meet its mark to do some damage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin wasn’t about to give them a chance. After watching a few more shots leave smoldering dents along the walls, he had a decent estimate as to where the shooter was. While still crouching, he edged out from where he was hidden and began shooting into the smoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After three shots he heard a female yell in pain, then swear and the shooting stopped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you hit her?” Connor asked after they waited in silence for almost a minute. “I hope you didn’t killer her,” he added gravely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh I’m sorry,” Gavin snarled before he turned and glared at the priest. “Next time someone tries to kill us I’ll be more gentle!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No need for sarcasm at a time like this, Commander,” Connor admonished, ignoring Gavin’s rolling eyes. “I’d like to check on her, make sure she’s okay.” He began to stand and wasn’t even on his knees yet before Gavin grabbed his collar and shoved him back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell did I say about you doing something stupid, Father?” Gavin snarled. “I’ll check to make sure she’s down. You be a lookout in case you see anyone new I’ve got to shoot at. Got it?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Connor wiped at his irritated eyes and watched Gavin slowly stand and peer into the dissipating smoke. He kept his blaster out and his eyes steady as they surveyed the surroundings, alert for the slightest of movements.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was nearly to the spot where he knew the shooting was coming from before he heard Connor yell, “Gavin!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she was already too close, too quick. The sound of a blaster firing preceded a sharp burn above his shoulder, the skin singing and tearing apart. A flesh wound, but still debilitating and agonizing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shouting in pain, he jerked back and before he could fully turn around a flash of brunette hair blocked his vision as North whipped the butt of her blaster against the side of his head, pain exploding as the material cracked against his skull.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Swearing, Gavin tried to recover, but before he could fully straighten, North appeared with a leg kicked high, her boot driving hard and fast straight into Gavin’s chest. The force was like a blaster to his heart, and soon felt his back roughly meet the ground, the impact causing his blaster to fall out of his hand. Before he could focus, North launched herself on top of him, her trying to lift her blaster again to inflict another blow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He assumed her blaster’s fuel source had run out, or else she would have just shot him. But he then saw that her right arm was hanging uselessly, blood seeping from just above her elbow, and her face was moonlit pale and contorted with pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not even taking a second to recover, through the miserable pain in his own damaged arm, Gavin reached up to grab at her bad arm and squeeze against the wound. A howl of pain echoed down the corridor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as Gavin was about to throw her off of him, she jerked to the side and then quickly straightened, his blaster in her good hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fear laced through his entire body like he had already been shot, kicking his training into high gear. With lightning quick movements, he let go of her bad arm and grabbed at her throat, smearing traces of blood against her pale skin, then used his other hand to push against her arm trying to point the barrel of the blaster against his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The efforts were only a stall. She had already had the blaster inches from his temple, and though they struggled, Gavin could only hope she would lose enough oxygen before she could pusher her hand any closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, the barrel soon hovered above his ear, and all she needed was a few centimeters more for a kill shot. As her face grew red, then purple, she sneered an ugly smile at him as she pulled at her hand once more-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A neat hole punched through her chest as a red blaster bolted through flesh and muscle. Gavin was so surprised he jerked back and let go of her, watching as her eyes went still before her whole body became nothing more than a heavy weight above him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoah, whoah!” Gavin yelled as she soon fell forward right onto his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh. Give me a break,” he grunted, annoyed, as he quickly shifted and pushed her limp body off of him. He sat up, breathing hard, and jerked in surprise when he saw who was the shooter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s about damn time you showed up,” Gavin hissed in between heavy pants as he slowly began to stand. Before he was even partially upright Nines was already by his side, sliding an arm around his back, his eyes inspecting the bleeding wound on his temple before landing his injured shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell were you thinking going into the ship alone?” Nines’ snapped when Gavin stood upright. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his soniscrew, then bent down and tore off a large piece of the hem of North’s pant leg. After standing, he used the fabric to wrap it around Gavin’s shoulder wound to slow the bleeding, grumbling and swearing the whole time.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When finished his hands quickly cupped Gavin’s face and he gritted his teeth, his anger palpable as his eyes lit up with concern. “Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin allowed Nines to scrutinize him, and replied, “M’fine. No harm done. Stop fussing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll damn well fuss when you decide to act like a reckless fool and almost get yourself killed,” Nines retorted with some heat. “Dammit Gavin,” he growled, his eyes flashing with heat and fear, then he pulled Gavin against his body, kissing him like a drowning man gasping for air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no desire in the kiss, just a harsh meeting of lips to comfort each other that they were alive and safe. But heat echoed in their touch, grasping fabric and leather in their palms and fingertips, a solid reminder of what they could lose with only one misstep.    </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not long afterwards Gavin pulled away and rested his forehead against Nines, waiting for his heartbeat to slow down from the adrenaline of his fight and Nines’ loving touch. “I’m fine.” Gavin tilted his head to the side, half-scowling even as he began to relax against the man. “And your brother doesn’t need to see the show.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines went still. “My brother?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin looked up and then around, suddenly realizing he hadn’t heard Connor speak yet. The smoke had now dissipated, but Connor wasn’t in sight. Besides North’s lifeless body, the hallways were empty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was here with me. Shit. Where the hell did he go?”    </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You saw Connor?” Nines’ voice was tight and high.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Running a hand through his hair, Gavin nodded. “Not long after I got on board we found each other. He was right here-shit. It must be Chloe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you make him go back to Allen’s ship?” Nines’ snapped and bent down to pick up Gavin’s blaster that North had dropped when she died.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Scowling, Gavin grabbed his blaster from Nines’ hand and replied, “Your brother is just as damn stubborn as you are. Don’t you think I tried?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but-” Nines began, but stopped when Gavin cut him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you before, Nines, that this was going to happen. You have any better luck than me in getting Connor to listen to you about getting involved in this stuff?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of answering, Nines crossed his arms and glared at Gavin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thought so. Now let’s get your brother and then get the hell out of here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin began walking down the hallway Connor had indicated was where the bridge was located. Nines fell into step beside him. He looked down and as he began inspecting the blaster Nines muttered, “You’re annoying when you’re right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite his worry for Connor and aggravation towards Nines, Gavin smirked and couldn’t stop a small chuckle. “Get used to it. I’m always right. General.” He looked at Nines, an eyebrow raised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm. You heard?” Nines asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You left that tidbit out of your earlier confession. Didn’t get to it in between admitting you’re a gambler and occasional criminal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think the General part allows me to consider myself more of a gentleman delinquent.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes to the ceiling Gavin shook his head. “I’m sure your do-gooder brother has some opinions on that part.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wide double-doors to the bridge soon came into view, and both men looked at each other briefly before Nines took his place in front of the command panel. He pulled out his soniscrew and began to work at its mechanical interface, trying to override the locks to open the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Gavin remained still, trying to listen for any sounds or any hint as to what was happening behind those doors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence inside gave him nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got it,” Nines suddenly said to Gavin. Their eyes met once more and Gavin nodded, lifting his blaster to attention. “Let’s go get our priest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines nodded back, and pulled out the soniscrew</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The double doors quickly slid open, and at once both Nines and Gavin stepped into the bridge, blaster’s drawn and aimed frontwards. Both the captain and co-captain's chairs were empty, and while the dashboard controls were lit up, waiting to be put to use, the front paneling only showed the silent and still view of darkness and stars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connor!” Nines suddenly yelled, and Gavin quickly followed Nines line of sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crumpled onto the floor on the far left corner lay Connor, fresh blood trickling down behind his head and onto the back of his neck. He was prone on his side, and unmoving. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Connor,” Nines cried again as he knelt beside his brother. He lay the blaster down on the ground and then slid his hands under Connor to lift him up and pull him closer to his chest. “He’s breathing! Jesus he’s alive. Connor wake up!” He slid his hand against Connor’s face and gave him a small shake. “Please. Don’t do this to me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin knelt beside Nines, his eyes raking over Connor’s body to assess his injuries. His frock was crumbled and dirty, and his face ashen and pale, but he didn’t look like he had been shot, just hit hard from behind to incapacitate him. “Nines,” Gavin said quietly. “Chloe’s not here. I think she left Connor as a distraction.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Nines could answer, Connor suddenly shifted in Nines’ arms, his eyes fluttering briefly before closing again. “Tried to stop her,” Connor quietly muttered, his voice slightly muffled against Nines’ shirt. He moaned and raised a hand to his head where the wound was. “She-she’s gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Forget her,” Nines said. “We’ll deal with her later. Can you stand?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After Connor gave them the barest of nods, Gavin shifted beside Connor and slid an arm around his back to help Nines lift Connor onto his feet. “Why’d she let you live?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t,” Connor croaked out as he slowly stood back upright. He swayed a bit when Gavin tentatively let go and Nines quickly wrapped his arm around Connor’s shoulder, holding him close to keep him from falling again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Nines asked, frowning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connor pointed a shaking hand towards the ship’s dashboard. “She put in a command for a complete full-stop. The ship’s supposed to power itself down, cutting off all utilities, including life-support.” He hissed and touched his head as a flash of pain caused him to squeeze his eyes shut. He forced himself to continue speaking. “The only reason it hasn’t yet is because it has an automatic time delay of fifteen minutes. It was enough time for her to sneak onto Allen’s ship when you were distracted by looking for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That bitch,” Gavin swore before he raced towards the dashboard. “Has she reached the ship yet? Can we shut it down?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines held out his communicator and spoke into it. “All I can access is the ship’s tracking, and it’s pulling out now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think you can shut down the command either. She put in a binary security code that’s voice activated.” He looked at Gavin. “We might have a chance though. Ping these coordinates.” He read out a series of numbers to Gavin, though he had to stop a couple of times as more pain stopped him cold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’re we reaching out to?” Gavin asked as he tapped at the dashboard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t get that far, but on my way to finding you, Commander, I stumbled across a communicator and reached out to some...friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friends?” Nines asked. “What kind of friends? Why the hell didn’t you try to contact me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though it pained him to move, Connor tilted his head upwards and smiled gently. “Don’t be upset brother. I was certain you were...how does the saying go? Hot on our tails? I just thought it would be prudent to ask for some backup.” He soon looked back down, the pain again too much for him. “It seems I wasn’t wrong in that regard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The panel lit up with an incoming transmission, and Gavin looked back towards Nines and Connor. “That your friendlies Connor? Or is Chloe trying to tap in to gloat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your guess is as good as mine, Commander.” Connor muttered through squinted eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, Gavin turned around and then put in the command to receive the transmission. His eyes widened and he stepped back in surprise at the face that greeted him when they connected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Markus?” Gavin snapped. “What the hell?” He could see that Markus was in his own space craft, a smaller personal cruiser big enough for only a small crew. He tapped at the screen and saw that he was in orbit, close by but traveling in the opposite direction. And he wasn’t alone. Three other cruisers were trailing behind him, but close enough that they were obviously part of a group. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Commander,” Markus said with a smile wide enough to flash his teeth. He looked past Gavin. “Nines, nice to see you again. Father Stern, always a pleasure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Markus,” Connor said and stepped towards the panel with help from Nines. “Thank goodness you received my message.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In trouble again, Father?” Markus asked, raising an eyebrow. “Simon and I should start a pool as to when the next time we’ll need to assist you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As much as I enjoy your banter, we’re in a tight spot Markus. You wouldn’t happen to be on your way towards this ship?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Markus shook his head and tapped at his panel. “No. But Simon is. He should be coming up to the shuttle soon.” He turned and smirked at Nines. “You think you were the only person on Central keeping an eye on Allen’s hardware?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines frowned at Markus’ comment, but instead of addressing it he asked, “You’re in-flight. My guess is you’re heading after Chloe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tilting his head to the side, Markus said, “If there’s one thing you and your brother share, is you’re both too damn clever for your own good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Markus,” Gavin warned. “Chloe is a wanted criminal. Once you apprehend her you must bring her back to Central.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That wide smile turned to Gavin once more. “Don’t worry, Commander. We’ll bring her back safe and sound once we’ve all reached an accord.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin stepped forward and placed his hand on the dashboard. “An accord?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My...friends and I have a shared mutual interest in the future of Central that we believe Mrs. Kaminski, whom I understand is now the current owner of Kaminski technologies, can help us out with. Since we’ve found ourselves with the unique opportunity to spend some quality time together, I think it’d do us all good to sit down and have a nice long chat.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Markus,” Connor said, his voice strained but serious. “Despite your ill-regards towards the late Mr. Kaminski that you share with the rest of your...comrades, please promise me that I needn’t worry about Chloe’s safety in your care. She’s a criminal, yes, but I trust you and Simon to maintain being the level-headed voices of reason. I know some of your fellow members are...rambunctious, to say the least. But Chloe must be returned alive and unharmed to face justice for what she’s done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Markus nodded. “I understand your concern, Father. But how can I be mad at her? Her actions have...opened a new door for the worker’s, so to speak. I’m sure we’ll come to a mutually beneficial agreement in no time at all.” He shrugged and added with feigned nonchalance, “Out here she hardly has the upper-hand to argue, don’t you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Connor didn’t reply Markus placed a hand over his chest. “On Simon’s life I promise I will keep her safe and alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin and Connor looked at each other, neither liking this situation. Nines’, however, couldn’t care less about Chloe’s fate. He tightened his hold on his brother’s shoulders and looked at the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clock’s ticking. We need to get off this ship, now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Marks looked down at where he was tracking Simon’s trajectory. “Go. Simon’s docking now. I’ll see you back at Central.” He paused. “With Chloe.” He then ended the transmission.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines looked at his brother. “Can you walk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean run?” Gavin interjected as he began heading towards the doors. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be alright,” Connor said. “But yes, running is a much preferable idea.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Several Hours Later...</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence in the long hallways of the housing units inside Jericho were occasionally broken up by Nines’ sharp footsteps. Annoyance laced his features when he arrived at the door to the unit he was looking for and his frustration only grew when he saw ‘Access Temporarily Restricted’ digitally displayed on the front.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see about that,” he muttered to himself and pulled out his soniscrew to begin working on the communicator panel beside the door. Barely a full minute had passed before the digital warning flickered dead, and he had granted himself full-access to the unit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As much as he wanted to unlock the doors, stomp inside and begin demanding answers, he took in a steadying breath and instead sent out a signal that the unit had a visitor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time continued, and just when he was about to override his personal convictions and enter the unit anyway, the door slid open revealing a very annoyed, but also very half naked, Gavin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell are you doing here?” Gavin snapped. He shifted where he stood and adjusted the long towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was wet and droplets of water dotted his shoulders and chest. “Did you hack my door?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines suddenly realized why Gavin had taken so long to answer the door, and why it was locked in the first place. But all those thoughts were pushed aside as lust began to wrestle itself in between his annoyance and nerves, and his eyes couldn’t stop themselves from dropping down to gaze at the grey towel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pushing everything back, Nines forced himself to look at Gavin. “What the hell am I doing here?” Instead of answering, he just snapped back, “What are you doing here?” He nodded to the wrapped up wound on Gavin’s shoulder and the red welt healing on his head. “You were supposed to stay in the med bay until you got the all-clear from the techs. I went to see you and they didn’t even know you had left!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes up past Nines’ head, Gavin turned and walked back inside the unit. “Get in here before someone gets a free show.” His voice was bored and gruff, and he waved Nines inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s Connor?” Gavin said, taking his turn in blatantly ignoring a question. “Feeling better? He looked rough on the flight back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Space travel has never been kind to him,” Nines admitted as he walked inside. He forced his eager hands into his pants pockets and kept some space between himself and Gavin. His annoyance was winning out against his lust...for now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“North and Chloe did a number on him before we found him. He’s quite concussed and has some cracked ribs.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah well, falling out of an air-vent will do that to you,” Gavin muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not again…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Again?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of Nines’ hands waved through the air, dismissing the subject. “That’s not important. Are you alright? Why did you leave?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, Gavin answered, “Got word Markus and his crew were back at the station with Chloe. I had to go deal with that mess, moving North’s body and catching Chen, Fowler and Allen up on what went down out there. Made sure Chloe ended up in the brig and everything.” He slowly rolled his injured arm, winced, and said, “They fixed it up pretty good, but I’ll give it some rest now that everything’s done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines took a step forward. “You should have let me know you were leaving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A downturned scowl wrinkled up Gavin’s face. “I don’t need a damn babysitter, Nines. You were busy with Connor anyway, and I can take care of myself.” He shifted uncomfortably and looked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you can,” Nines hotly replied back. “After everything, don’t you get it yet that I give a damn about you, Gavin?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin turned back towards Nines to meet his sharp gaze, but said nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to hold back any longer, Nines took a step closer and pulled his hands out of his pockets before sliding them onto Gavin’s shoulders, his hands becoming damp from the water drying against Gavin’s hot skin. He dragged one hand up against Gavin’s neck, feeling his pulse quicken as he let his thumb lightly caress Gavin’s freshly shaven jaw. His muscles jumped from the touch, but Gavin remained silent, his eyes steady but hesitant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Choosing silence himself, Nines bent forward and kissed Gavin, bringing his other hand up to cup Gavin’s cheek to pull him in closer. Reciprocating the kiss, Gavin placed his free hand on Nines’ chest, grasping the dark fabric tightly into his palm as if to keep Nines from ever leaving again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heat blossomed between the two as their lips dragged and danced against each other, tongues tasting the desperation and desire emanating from within their hearts. Words of love simmered in their minds, not ready yet to be said, but were deeply felt through each touch, each caress, each sigh of pleasure tumbling between heated breaths. . </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Breaking away, Nines slid his hands around Gavin’s back and pulled him into a tight embrace. He buried his face into Gavin’s warm neck, letting his nerves settle as he reminded himself that Gavin was safe and alive. “I can’t lose you, Gavin,” he finally whispered against skin that smelled of fresh soap and stale water. “I, fuck, I need you. Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soft fabric pressed against his nose as Gavin squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face into Nines’ chest, embracing him back. He was grateful that he was unable to look at Nines when he haltingly grumbled, “Don’t want to lose you either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stayed wrapped around each other for a few moments, letting the words settle into each other’s minds, before Nines slid his hands down to Gavin’s hips, his long fingers resting on the terry cloth towel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his lips still pressed against Gavin’s neck, he whispered, “It’s over now. Let me take care of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eagerly, Gavin nodded, and took a small step back to allow Nines to gently tug the towel away. Cool air caressed his thighs, legs and now aching member, and he hissed gratefully when Nines tugged him close against his solid body, his warm hands then sliding down to rest against his exposed ass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you’re gorgeous,” Nines whispered before he kissed Gavin, giving him quick nips against his already reddened lips. He squeezed the firm skin in his hands, and pulled Gavin close against his body so that both of their members could press together. He groaned from the contact, anticipation blossoming in his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not so bad looking yourself,” Gavin joked when they pulled away to breathe, though he could only pant out the words as his lust grew as thick and solid as his dick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking behind Gavin’s shoulder, Nines’ smirked at his sudden new idea and gently pushed him backwards, leading him towards his kitchen table. He kept his hands on Gavin’s ass, not allowing too much space to open between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bedroom’s that way,” Gavin tried to explain between Nines’ never ending barrage of kisses to his lips and face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t wait,” Nines said and in one swift movement he had lifted Gavin up and onto the table, then gently began pushing him to lay backwards until his back was flush against the firm surface.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We really doing this?” Gavin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like the leverage from up here,” Nines said almost absentmindedly, though he was anything but. He ran his hands along Gavin’s firm thighs, the soft hair trailing behind his touch, and looked down at Gavin with a smile. “Comfortable?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would be more comfortable on a bunk,” Gavin answered as he shifted and looked up at Nines’ perfect face above him. If it didn’t feel so good, he would say how much he hated what that face did to his heart. He couldn’t ever remember feeling so...cared for. So seen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll survive,” Gavin said, and hopped his face wasn’t flushing too much from all the emotions rising up in his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get to the bed soon enough, I promise.” Bending forward, Nines kissed him once more, before pulling away to drag his nose against Gavin’s firm stomach, smiling at the soft noises Gavin made above him. He tentatively began kissing the skin, adding an occasional pattern of gentle nips as he worked his way southward, purposefully bypassing Gavin’s member to continue his trail inside his thighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a short while, Gavin gritted out, “Got it. You’re a damn tease. Remind me to return the favor next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no,” Nines muttered sarcastically as reached a hand up to drag it with a barely there touch against Gavin’s straining length. “Be sure to do your worst.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Groaning from the pleasure just out of reach, Gavin said, “Why don’t you do something more with that mouth of yours than yapping?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe I did promise you would end up well fucked when I was through with you,” Nines said and bent down to take Gavin in his mouth. He slowly slid mouth down, wrapping his tongue around the shaft to lubricate it with his saliva. He couldn’t hold back a smirk at how quickly Gavin’s hands found their way into his hair, how pleasurably loud his groans had become.  </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>When he felt the member was slick enough to not cause any pulling or discomfort, Nines tightened his lips around the warm skin and then started moving his head up and down at a slow pace, allowing Gavin to get used to this feeling without being overwhelmed and then coming too soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can go faster,” Gavin gritted out. “I can take it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines just continued taking his time, dragging his lips up and down Gavin’s shaft, alternatively tightening and loosening them so his tongue could wrap around the trembling man, eliciting the sweetest sounds from Gavin’s panting mouth with he teased the slit at the top, or reached out to gently fondle the base. He kept this up until he suddenly stopped and stood straight up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, whoa,” Gavin exclaimed. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shh,” Nines gently ran his hand up and down Gavin’s shaft. “I’ll be quick. You said the bedroom is that way?” He nodded towards the hallway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah but-” Gavin tried, but Nines ignored him and walked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” Gavin yelled at his retreating back before he ran an aggravated hand through his hair and reached down to grab his abandoned member to continue where Nines had left off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines’ voice called out from Gavin’s bedroom, “Don’t you dare touch yourself until I get back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In answer, Gavin let out a loud, frustrated growl, but reluctantly obeyed, letting his other hand fall to the side. Though Nines was most likely only gone for a minute, it had felt like an eternity before he was back again, and had a small tube in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How the fuck did you find that?” Gavin asked when he recognized it for what it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucky guess,” Nines answered. “May I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding rapidly, Gavin answered, “Fine. Just get your mouth back on my dick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines opened the top of the container, then dripped some of the lube onto his fingers. “You’re awfully bossy aren’t you?” He sounded annoyed, but his smile gave him away at how much he liked Gavin’s attitude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Technically I am your boss,” Gavin said and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. “Fucking dying here man.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are worse ways to go out, I can assure you,” Nines said, and slid a coated finger between Gavin’s checks, feeling the man tense and shift a bit at the new touch. He bent forward and nosed along Gavin’s member, intoxicated by the smell of the man, and when he slowly slid a finger inside, simultaneously he took Gavin’s member back into his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Unh. Nines!” Gavin exclaimed, shivering at the multiple feelings assaulting him at once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines worked his finger into a slow, gentle rhythm to match the movements of his mouth. He hoped the pleasure would outweigh the discomfort he knew Gavin was feeling. He could hear Gavin taking slow, even breaths to calm himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Nines felt Gavin was loose enough he gently added in a second finger, making sure to speed up his movements to override the burning stretch Gavin would undoubtedly feel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck. Nines. Don’t stop.” Gavin hissed, reaching out to thread his fingers though Nines’ hair again. His grip tightened when Nines pressed down on the familiar spot he had been searching for. “Oh shit. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines pressed it again, and Gavin hissed and jerked before he gently tugged at Nines’ hair, a signal to get him off his member. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You keep doing that I’m going to come,” Gavin said, craning his neck to look at Nines’ position between his legs with his fingers inside him. He was turned on more than he had ever been in his life, between Nines’ lips stained red from mouthing him, and that undeniably look of lust in his eyes, Nines was taking him to heights he had never been to before. He moaned and rocked his hips a bit, unable to stop himself, and jerked in pleasure when Nines curled his fingers once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well that is the point,” Nines’ teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just fucking do it. Now. Please,” Gavin added the last part for good measure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nearly there,” Nines said and straightened up a bit, though he kept his fingers inside Gavin. “One more then we’ll press on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gavin’s groan of annoyance switched to pleasure as Nines’ place a hand on the table to steady himself, and watched Gavin’s face fill with pleasure as he continued to finger him gently, eventually adding that long awaited third finger. He kept going even beyond that, wanting to make sure Gavin was stretched out, that he would be safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both of Gavin’s hands were now wrapped up in his own hair, his mouth open with heated pants. Even though he was desperate to move on, the pleasure Nines gave him was better than anything he had ever felt before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’ve earned the right to move onto the next part,” Nines said and slid his fingers out, unable to wait any longer. Gavin hissed but sat up with Nines’ help. Before his feet even touched the floor Nines was kissing him roughly, his desire overtaking his patience once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Nines captured his mouth, Gavin’s own hands were quickly working their way through Nines’ clothes, unbuttoning his pants to push them down, then pulling back so he could slide Nines’ black shirt over his head. When his chest was exposed, Gavin jerked back in surprise and let out a low whistle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That fire really did a number on ya huh?” He said and looked up at Nines who nodded. Though the med-tech was able to speed up the healing process, scarred burns, multi-colored bruises and fresh white med tape were wrapped all around his chest and torso like a broken map. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking back down, Gavin placed a gentle kiss on Nines’ chest and, unable to look at him, whispered, “I thought I lost you then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines slid his hands along Gavin’s cheeks and turned him so that they were looking into each other’s eyes. The emotion Gavin saw there twisted in his chest even more when Nines whispered, “I’m here. I came back for you. I’ll </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>come back for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, they kissed once more, this time with more emotion, more sense of accepting their need for each other.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pulling back, Gavin ran an appreciative hand along Nines’ sizable member, smiling when Nines let out a soft hum. “You think that thing is going to fit inside me?” He joked, trying to sound nonchalant and not at all eager.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines dragged a thumb against Gavin’s jaw and said, “I promise I won’t hurt you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Swallowing, Gavin nodded and said, “I know. I trust you.” He then turned around and placed his hands on the table, exposing himself to Nines.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nines sucked in a breath and pressed his lips together as a wave of emotions swelled inside his heart from Gavin’s words. He pushed them aside to focus on taking care of Gavin, but he planned on assessing them later when his body wasn’t clamoring for attention.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lube was cool in Nines’ hand as he slicked himself up, and he placed his clean hand on Gavin’s hip before pressing a few kisses to his shoulders and upper back. “You ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I look like I’m ready for anything else?” Gavin said, but his voice was quiet and tinted with humor. He turned and looked back at Nines, smiling.    </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling back, Nines slowly pressed himself inside, whispering quiet, comforting words to Gavin as he began breathing slowly. He leaned forward to gently rest his lips against Gavin’s ear. “Tell me to stop if it’s too much,” he said as his entire body trembled when Gavin’s warmth engulfed him whole.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you fucking dare. I’m good,” Gavin gritted out, forcing himself to relax along with the intrusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, Nines could hold back no more and he slowly pulled himself back with his hips, then slowly slid back inside Gavin, focusing on the man’s breathing and gentle groans for any indication of discomfort or pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Gavin only continued to sound wanton and desperate, as if he would get on his knees and beg for more if it meant Nines would give it to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Repeating his movements slowly, he took his time in allowing Gavin to get used to the feeling of their bodies connecting, becoming one in the way he had wanted for so long. Despite his body’s aching desire to take Gavin as fast and hard as it wanted, Nines knew he needed to take it slower for Gavin’s sake. He needed Gavin to know that this wasn’t going to be a quick fuck, but the first of many times they would spend together like this. They deserved to have every moment savored, not wasted in a frenzy of lust and need. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the situation would arise, Nines liked to consider himself experienced and prided himself on being a giving lover. As long as Gavin was in his arms, or eventually in his bed, Nines would do everything in his power to make sure each time they were together would be worthy of Gavin giving himself to Nines.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so far he seemed to be succeeding. Gavin was meeting every thrust with a pleasured moan or choked gasp, his head hung low and his mouth hanging open. He reached back and grabbed Nines’ hip, grasping at the skin as he felt Nines’ body move along with him, desperate for an anchor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With one hand now resting on Gavin’s stomach, Nines used his free hand to cup Gavin’s chin and tilt him backwards a bit so he could get better leverage. Then he kissed Gavin, dipping his tongue inside and nipping restlessly at his lips. “You feel amazing,” Nines said before delving back inside, pleasure rendering any other coherent thought useless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck, Nines,” Gavin chocked out when Nines finally released him so that they could breathe again. He looked into Nines’ blue eyes wide with pleasure. “Just don’t fucking stop.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Nines gave into his body’s desperate desire by quickly pounding away at Gavin, now sliding quick and easy in and out of the moaning man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Just like that,” Gavin ground loudly as he threw his head back, his entire body shifting as it met every hard thrust Nines gave. His hands curled into fists against the solid table top, and his mouth fell open as it let a mantra of unintelligible words spilling out without stopping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the edge of desire began to build in Nines’ stomach, he reached down and grasped Gavin’s abandoned member, sliding it up into his palm, reveling in the warm ridges and taunt skin. He repeated his movement, flicking his wrist at the end to encourage a lovely little jolt of extra pleasure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“M’close,” Gavin said, and bent forward even more, tensing as his orgasm began to build. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steadying his breath, Nines said, “You first,” and increased his movements both with his hips and wrist, until Gavin jerked and shuddered, his release spilling over Nines’ hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment Nines wished he hadn’t chosen this position as their first time, he would have loved to see Gavin’s face again as he came undone, but he knew he would see it once more soon enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After he let go of Gavin’s softening dick, Nines placed both his hands on Gavin’s hips and picked up the pace, but barely a minute passed before he finally tumbled over the edge as well, swearing and panting Gavin’s name. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both men breathed heavily against each other as the adrenaline subsided, and slowly Nines began to pull himself out of Gavin, brushing soft kisses along his shoulders and neck to hush his hissing discomfort. Once separated Gavin turned and kissed him lazily, his unspoken affection audible. Their hands roamed against open skin, as if they were consumed with an unquenchable need to touch and caress every spot they could reach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they parted once more to settle their racing minds and hearts, Nines bent his forehead against Gavin’s, smiling. Gavin took his abandoned towel and cleaned himself and then Nines off, then took his hand and tugged Nines towards his bedroom. He followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inside the small, plain bedchamber, without asking Gavin dragged Nines’ into his bed, pulling back the covers and slotting their bodies together against the soft pillows and mattress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I take it this is you asking me to spend the night?” Nines said as he laid back, pulling Gavin close to him. Gavin rested a hand on Nines’ chest and laid his head on his shoulder, his eyes beginning to droop close. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Subtle isn’t really my thing,” Gavin said, his voice groggy and low. “M’not going to walk away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” Nines asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said before that you would get me so well fucked that I wouldn’t be able to walk away this time,” Gavin said and looked up at Nines. “I’m well fucked, yeah, but that’s not why I’m not going to walk away this time. I want to stay.” He swallowed. “Do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning, Nines slid his arm around Gavin and tugged him close before kissing him once more, ensuring that Gavin’s lips would end up even redder and plumper than they had been. When he pulled back he whispered, “Yes. Always.” He traced those lips with an index finger and said, “You know I chatted with my brother a bit before coming here. He had...hinted at some of your conversations when you were on the ship looking for Chloe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shifting, Gavin said, “So?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Nines slowly continued, and waited a beat as if he expected Gavin to say something. When he remained silent Nines said, “Let’s just say that I would care if your bruises colored wrong as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confused, but too tired to argue Gavin said, “Whatever you say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chuckling, Nines pulled Gavin close to him and kissed his forehead, then kissed him again on the scar above his nose. He smiled when Gavin didn’t react this time, and he ran his hand through Gavin’s hair, scratching affectionately at his scalp. “I’ll tell you more tomorrow. Get some sleep, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Gavin muttered and shifted so that he was back laying on Nines’ chest, a leg thrown over his hips and his hand resting on Nines’ side.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tucking him in close, Nines said, “Connor also mentioned that Simon had shared with him some concerns some of the workers have had about a missing line member and asked him to look into it. I think he was planning on discussing it with you tomorrow, but I’ll hold him off for another day to give him more time to rest up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Gavin muttered. “It’s okay. I’ll talk to him. You know how Connor gets when he’s hooked on a new mystery. He’s not going to want to wait, but I’ll make sure he doesn’t get kidnapped by an evil rich widow again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raising an eyebrow, Nines casually asked, “So you’re considering partnering up with him, aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grunting, Gavin let out a soft groan before he answered, “Don’t push it. Talking does not equal partnering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, dear,” Nines said, his smile evident in his voice, and ran a hand up and down Gavin’s bare back. “Just talking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just talking,” Gavin repeated, his voice descending into slumber, and soon his breathing evened out, his body limp and heavy against Nines.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The weight of Gavin’s relaxed body against him felt amazing, like he was finally home. Smiling, Nines soon followed him into slumber, knowing that he would do everything he could to keep Connor and Gavin safe, partnered or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though he had to admit, he had a good feeling about how that would end up.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you again for reading! </p><p>And one last reminder to be sure to check out the lovely art that has accompanied this story by the highly talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a> The art is fantastic and I am so lucky to have had Beili as a partner during this journey!</p><p>Thank you! :)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had a great time writing this story and I hope you all enjoy it as well!</p><p>Don't forget to check out the lovely art that will accompany this story by the very talented artist Beili, who you can find at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/julia_beili/">Twitter Julia_beili</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593438">AO3 Beili!</a>. New art will be updated along with the new chapters!</p><p>And because of the way the Reed900RBB posting schedule is setup, the upcoming posting dates for the new chapters of this story are as follows:</p><p>Chapter 7: December 12<br/>Chapter 8: December 16<br/>Chapter 9: December 20<br/></p></blockquote></div></div>
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